With Identity Comes Purpose
by Ariel4891
Summary: They gave her one piece of advice…to find the avatar. Why? She knew not. But when she was thrown into a world unknown to her, she knew that if she wanted to survive, she must do as she was told. Zutara.
1. Visitation

**Many thanks to my beta Namita (not Vimuku this time! lol I'm giving her a break), and all of the awesome people that review and make me want to continue writing. So this story goes out to everyone who has been with me through my last story and the stories before that! Thank you! **

**p.s.- I would have had this story up a week ago had my beta not procrastinated until I threatened her with death.**

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** Predetermined Destination

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**The value of identity of course is that so often with it comes purpose. ~Richard Grant**

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**o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o**

Sokka sat outside of the tent, his head resting against a support pole. Confusion showed on his face as his mother wailed in misery from inside. So young, only two years old, and he already had to deal with death.

"Sokka…" I called out and motioned for him to come towards me, I didn't want him anywhere near that tent right now.

He didn't look at me as he came forward. "Yes, Gran Gran?" Sokka asked quietly, not meeting my eyes.

"Come and take a walk with me, ok? We'll go and see the penguins." I offered.

Sokka nodded and absently followed me outside of the subdued town.

We weren't far when the questions started.

"Gran…" Sokka began unsurely. "Why are mom and dad crying?"

I took a few silent steps before I was collected enough to begin. "Do you remember yesterday when your mom was pregnant?" I asked him, trying to make this simple enough to understand.

"Yeah…I'm going to have a sister." Sokka said with a slight smile, but it faded quickly as if he knew for some reason that he shouldn't be smiling.

My heart clenched and I had to take a deep breath before I was able to continue. "Tue and La have decided that it's not the right time for your sister to be here."

Sokka's brows furrowed. "I don't understand."

I sighed and tried again. "You're not going to have a sister at this time Sokka... she didn't survive the birth."

Sokka stopped walking as one of his mother's wails carried over to us. "She's dead?"

I forced my breath out of my nose. "Yes Sokka."

"Is that why momma and daddy are crying?" He glanced back to the camp and then tightened his lips.

"Yes sweetie, they're sad right now, but they will be fine soon. I promise." I lied.

"Mommy said her name was going to be Katara." Sokka said.

I placed my hand on his shoulder and squeezed softly.

"Why did she have to die?" Sokka asked me.

His little mind was probably searching for an answer, one that would cure everything and fix the world…but I couldn't give him that. "Well, it probably wasn't her time to be here, but Tue and La will take care of her spirit until she is ready to join us here again."

I prayed that I was right… For Sokka's sake.

"C'mon Sokka, lets go see those penguins…" I grasped Sokka's hand and gave it a little tug, leading him further away from the spirit of death that hung over the whole tribe.

**o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o**

My minimum wage job was a lame waitress gig at out local roadside grill creatively named…wait for it…Roadside Grill. The "joke" here was that once you survive your first month here, you're in it for life. Unfortunately, that has never been proven wrong. My foster mom, Lucy, Has been working here since she was twenty three. That sounds promising, right? I've been here for four months, so that means that like so many others that have been caught in this snare before me, I'm a lifer.

I can imagine myself ten years from now with a pencil behind my ear, asking people whether or not they want to hear the soup of the day.

"Kat!" Sarah, one of my coworkers, yelled, jerking me out of my daydreaming. "Table five has been waiting for their water for ten minutes!"

"Crap," I mumbled and ran to give them their drinks (which had been sitting in front of me for nine of those ten minutes).

They took their water without complaint. They, along with the rest of the restaurants occupants, were regulars, and were used to me taking a while to get back to them. It's a wonder I get any tips.

With their lunch orders in hand, I made my way to the kitchens and passed it off to my friend—and also the grill cook—Bobby.

"Hey Kat!" He greeted me warmly. "I have Greg's order for you…"

"Damn…I really don't want to go back to that table…" I muttered but took the plate anyway.

"He isn't that bad. I used to wait tables…he was never weird to me." He said after he noticed I was still hovering.

"Yeah, well that's because you're a boy." I informed him. "I swear, he turns everything I say into something sexual. If his brother weren't my Foster mom's friend…" I threatened.

"Well, I can't help you with him, but I might be able to brighten up your day. Some of us are going down to the lake to have a bonfire, you want to come?" He asked, giving me a pleading look.

"Really?" I asked curiously while trying not to eye his biceps. Bobby had short dark hair and equally dark eyes, which can easily cause a girl to swoon, but once he smiles at you, you're done for. He had an easy smile with perfectly straight teeth and one dimple. I don't know when it happened, but Bobby got hot. I remembered him when we were freshman, he was short and chubby and had a face full of acne, but now he was all height and muscle.

_Too bad I've been his friend since grade school_, I thought. _Maybe if I didn't remember him eating glue as a child, I'd have romantic feelings for him._

"Yeah. You in?" He asked, snapping me out of my thoughts.

"Oh my gosh…" I sighed and smiled. "You don't know how lovely that sounds…"

"That's what I like to hear!" His smile widened and dimpled. "Were meeting at five, do you need me to pick you up?" He asked me, conscious that I didn't have a car and wouldn't want to bother my foster parents for a ride.

I nodded. "Sure, That'd be great."

"Ok, we're each bringing something…I'm covering the brinks, and everyone else is bringing things you can barbeque…so you can bring the smores."

"Okey dokie!" I smiled, and shifted Greg's food into my other hand. "I'll make sure to write that down, I'm sure I'll-"

"Robert and Katara!" a voice yelled from behind us.

We both cringed and turned towards our impending doom. The apocalypse in the form of a middle-aged woman with thick rimmed glasses. Our boss.

"Get back to work, both of you!" She wagged her finger at us. Had her arm fat not waggled with it, the gesture might have had the intended effect. Instead, we had to force our laughter back.

"Sorry Miss. Cooper." We said simultaneously, shifting our feet. "We'll get back to work."

She rolled her eyes and shook her head.

"And Katara?" She addressed me before leaving.

I cringed again, but this time from the use of my name. I hated the name Katara, it's so weird. It sucks to grow up with a name like that while everyone had something completely normal like Katherine or Jane.

"Yes?" I replied, turning around.

"Your mom" _Foster mother_, I mentally corrected her, "wants me to tell you that you have to watch Tina tonight. We're going to the movies."

Bobby's disappointment was almost audible. I gave bobby a look that said that I'd figure something out. I went out to the dining room to give Greg his burger, fighting the urge to spit in his food the entire time.

**o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o**

Tina was a lovely girl with dark brown hair and a pretty pair of hazel eyes. It's too bad that her personality didn't match her appearance, in my opinion; she should have horns and a tail.

I hated how pleading my voice sounded as I spoke to her. "Please cover for me, I wont be out long…I promise."

"No." She replied with a smile.

"Please?"

"No."

"C'mon, I'll do something in exchange." I offered, knowing that I might just end up streaking or doing something equally mortifying.

"Hmm…I don't know." She cocked her head to the side and sighed. "Maybe if you ask Mom again, she'll let you go."

I checked my cringe at hearing Lucy being referred to as mom. It's not that I hate Lucy, it's just that I know she's not my mom…I know my real mom is out there somewhere, and I want to meet her. "You know she won't."

"Well…maybe there is something you can do for me…" She pursed her lips and stared up at the ceiling, obviously trying not to laugh.

"What is it?" my eyes narrowed suspiciously.

"Oh nothing…you just have to take a picture of Bobby for me, and his cute butt better be included in it."

I could not hold back my snort of laughter. "What?"

"Or you could go streaking at our next football game. Your choice." She picked at her nails.

She's the devil all right.

I could imagine myself running past the ten yard line in my birthday suit. But how was I supposed to get a picture of Bobby's butt? Tell him to bend over so I can snap one? Yeah…that'll work. Maybe I can just snap a picture of him when he's not looking.

I sighed in defeat. "Okay."

"I love this relationship we have." She held out her hand and we shook on it.

"The love and hate kind?" I asked sarcastically.

"Yes." She agreed with a smile.

I sighed and pulled the checklist I made earlier at work out of my pocket and handed it to her.

She walked up to the wall and leaned on it. "Flashlight." She began reading like we didn't just agree to a really weird deal.

With a dive, I pulled my tote bag out from under my bed and dug my hands into the bag searching until I found what I was looking for. "Check."

"Why was that already in there?" Tina asked.

I sighed. "I always have that there; it's for blackouts or whatever."

"Blanket." She continued with an eye roll.

"Crap…um..." Where did I put that blanket? Oh wait…it's under my bed. I fished around for my extra warm blanket and sighed in relief when I found it. This blanket has been with me through many bonfires. Hell, it still smelled like fire from the last time. "Check."

The next one, she read off as a question. "Pocket knife?"

"Bobby told me he's bringing those really good Cola's that have the bottle caps on them, and I _know_ that He's going to forget to bring a bottle opener…and I don't want him to break his teeth while trying to chew his way through the bottle…" I told her while reaching into my sock drawer, pulling out my trusty pocket knife.

"Sure…um, whats S.S.?" Tina asked, moving down the list.

"Smore stuff." I told her. "And check."

"Towel."

"Check."

"Extra change of clothes."

"Check."

"Camera and sandals."

"Check and check." I yelled from inside my closet. With one swift move, my feet were in a pair of tennis shoes and I had my sandals in hand.

"Is that everything?" Tina asked as she sat cross legged on the floor, crumpling up the list and tossing it in a perfect arc into the wastebasket.

"I think so." I shouldered my bag and left the room, grabbing my jacket off of my bunk and calling out a "thank you" as I left.

With a quick text, Bobby was on his way, and I was in the kitchen foraging for food. I shoved any food I could get my hands on into my bag. There was no way I was going to eat anything that a bunch of teenage boys cooked over a fire. Last bonfire I went to, the boys tried to be manly and grill the hamburgers, and a few people ended up getting food poisoning.

It only took Bobby five minutes to get to my house, in which time I polished off one of the apples I had packed and cleaned my nails. He picked me up, and we were to the lake in less than no time. The sun was setting and it was already getting dark, but I had been going to this lake for years, so I was able to find my way to the fire pit pretty easily and without the use of a flashlight.

I could hear the laughing before I saw the group that had assembled at our pit.

The people were formed in a large circle around the fire, already cooking their hotdogs, and chatting with each other. I smiled politely at everyone as I approached and was able to recognize some people from school.

Jenna, a candidate for an Herbal Essences commercial if I ever saw one, and Michael, the quiet guy that we all think will one day become a millionaire, or shoot up the school, were the only two I knew the names of, and that's only because they were in my government class.

Maybe I should have asked Bobby who was going before I agreed to go.

I set my stuff on the ground at my feet and sat down in an empty spot in their circle. Their conversations continued on without interruption.

Not really wanting to talk to anybody, I decided to people watch.

Jenna, the hair girl, was talking it up with a person whose face looked like it belonged in a magazine. Mr. Magazine was soaking up the attention, and was obviously used to that kind of stuff. But damn, by the way hair girl kept touching his shoulder… I wouldn't be surprised if she jumped him. Just next to them were two people who were obviously a couple. With the amount of saliva they were swapping, I was pretty sure they were going to need to find a room soon.

Friends talked with friends, and hand gestures flew all around. They all knew each other and were close to each other. I wanted that.

_Why the hell am I here?_ A voice in the back of my head asked.

A groan escaped my lips. I hate it when I get like this. The feeling that I don't belong was an always present plague on my mind.

Whenever I'd start to get uncomfortable, I would take a look at my life and think that something was wrong. I felt as if something was missing from my life. It sure as hell wasn't a boyfriend—I'd already tried that. Whatever it was though, it was haunting me. Whenever I talked to a friend, I thought that they weren't the ones I should be talking to. Whenever I went home, I felt as if my real home was somewhere else.

I couldn't help but think that this had something to do with my family.

My real one.

I groaned to myself and picked up my bag. I knew I just barely got there and Bobby would miss me, but I had to get out of there. I looked around and saw that no one was paying attention, so I took my chance and snuck into the cover of trees. A warning went through my mind, but I quickly stifled it. I needed to take a walk and clear my head, and I'll be dammed if the threat of a bear would stop me. But still, I felt a pang of fear at the darkness that wouldn't go away.

To quell my anxiety, I pulled my flashlight out of my bag and turned it on, using its beams to search the darkness.

"Keep walking…" I told myself. And I did. I walked until I forgot my troubles. I walked until I forgot that I didn't fit in.

It wasn't long before my mind began playing tricks on me. Every shadow became a monster, and bug related noise became a bear. After a particularly loud crack, which turned out to be me just stepping on a twig, I had to force my self to stop and calm down.

It was then that my flashlight suddenly went out.

_Damn,_ I cursed. _Just my luck._

I vainly whacked the flashlight against the palm of my hand a few times. After a few minutes, I finally gave up and sat cross legged on the cold, slightly damp ground.

It was then when I realized what I had done. I got myself lost. I was in the middle of a freaking forest with nothing with a broken flashlight and whatever I had in my bag. Perfect. How long could I survive off of what was in my bag?

I looked around myself so I could get an idea of my bearings, but the limited light I received from the moon didn't help as much as I'd have liked it to.

I wanted to cry, but I knew that wouldn't get me anywhere, so I sucked it in and stared at the moon instead. It was especially bright and full tonight and it- oh hell, who am I kidding. I was freaking lost and I'd probably die out here.

Ok, so I don't have a cell phone, and no one knew I left. Damn, I'm going to be here for a while, aren't I? Maybe I should have told someone I was going for a walk…

My eyes began to water so I rubbed at them out of frustration, but when I opened them again, the light was fading.

The shadows that had been scaring me earlier were becoming bigger and bigger, until they completely consumed everything.

I blinked a few times, expecting everything to go back, but when it didn't, I started to freak out.

"Ok, maybe this is normal," I desperately reassured myself, "like when you stand up too fast and your vision blacks around the edges."

…But I wasn't standing up and my vision was completely gone. I was completely surrounded by darkness.

The only sounds that accompanied me were- wait…where were the crickets? I could have sworn that there were bugs chirping and clicking away, but now there was nothing. Just complete and utter silence.

I felt like I was trapped in a soundproof box, and it sacred the hell out of me.

"Ahh!" I yelled into the darkness. My head felt like it was splitting in half and I started to feel very cold, despite the thickness of my jacket.

Something was wrong, really wrong. My stomach was feeling really light, like centrifugal force on a rollercoaster, and my fingers were tingling.

_This was it,_ I thought, _I'm dying, and I don't even know why._

Then suddenly, as if from a dream, two figures appeared in front of me.

One was a beautiful woman with white hair. Her blue eyes, not so unlike mine, shone brightly from her tan face. A flowing white robe floated off of her body and made me think of an angel, or a Greek Goddess. She shone brightly and slightly translucent, but I had the feeling that if I were to reach out and touch her, she would be solid.

The man standing at her side had the same bright translucency, but that's where the similarities stopped. He had a mane of long black hair that went past his shoulders, accompanying deep blue eyes. I couldn't say he had perfect features; there was something wrong with his face— maybe it was its symmetry— but the imperfection made him very attractive. His expression was harsh and severe, but his bright eyes were kind. My eyes roamed away from his face and saw that he too was wearing a flowing robe that was synched at the waist with some kind of belt. As I focused on it, I saw that it was made of an ornately decorated silk.

"Katara…" a soft voice spoke.

I snapped up my head, surprised at hearing the woman's voice. I was, by this point, half sure I was dead, but to make sure, I squeezed my hand into a fist and dug my nails into my palm. When a shot of pain resulted, I suddenly got dizzy again.

If this wasn't a dream, and I wasn't dead…then what the hell was going on?

"What's going on?" I demanded, suddenly scared, terrified actually.

The male spoke. "Be careful, mortal." I flinched at the tone of his voice. "You don't know who you're speaking to."

The woman frowned at him and then addressed me. "Katara, you need not worry, were not here to do any harm."

"Then what is this… what's happening?" I asked her, calming my voice so I didn't anger the man.

"We're here because we need you." She told me.

"What?" I asked, dumbfounded. Why would they need me? I had no idea who they even were. What could people like that possibly use me for?

"We need you in our world— in our time." The man said quietly, still seemingly angry.

"World? Time? Who are you?" I was about to cry in frustration. My head was killing me and I wanted to go home and cry in my bed.

"We are Tui and La." She said, offering no other explanation.

"I don't understand." Confusion began to override fear. Those names sounded familiar… but I live in California, where would I ever have heard those names?

"We don't expect you to." The man said harshly.

The girl sighed and made a gesture with her hand. "We are spirits from another world. We've come for you."

"_Come for_ _me_? I thought you weren't going to kill me!" I began to yell. "Damnit, just tell me what's happening!"

The man's face transformed into a look of hate, and he took a step forward, probably to complete the deed, but the woman placed her hand on his arm and squeezed, calming him substantially.

"Don't worry Katara, all will be revealed in time." The woman smiled. "All you need to know now is that you must seek out the avatar."

There was an ear splitting crack, and my world was filled with light.

**o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o

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**I was going to wait until tomorrow to post this, but today is as good as ever.**

**So I know its been a while since my last story, but I have been very busy and I have finally got some free time, so I might as well use it on this!**

**Enjoy!**

**Feedback would be lovely!  
**


	2. Amnesia

**I should totally fire my Beta...shes a meanie. We were working on a school project at her house and i let her beta it right in front of me. lol. and let me tell you something...she was very vocal about my mistakes. "Defiantly??!?!?!!!!! don't you mean definitely?! Gosh! Your so stupid! Pealing? PEALING!!?! How do you not know when to use pealing vs peeling?" "tows? lol, you used tows instead of toes!!!"**

"God! will you ever capitalize watertribe or earthkingdom? Why dont you capatalize this? do you know how tedious it is to capitalize them? I have to make it in red too." lol...i love her so much...I LOVE YOU EMILY!!!

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**o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o**

The light blocked out everything but pain. My whole body seared with what felt like fire, but I somehow know what I wasn't burning, the tightening of skin, the blistering didn't happen, only white hot heat.

It couldn't have lasted any longer than a few seconds, but those seconds felt like hours.

By the time I realized the pain was finally gone, I couldn't move. My legs wouldn't obey the signals my brain was sending to them. Move. Move now, dammit! But nothing happened. I tried to open my eyes, but they wouldn't move either. Nothing moved at all.

I was dead… I had to be. Those two people lied and killed me after all. Or I could have been dead long before that. I must have tripped somewhere during my little walk and split my head on a rock. Great. This is just great.

It wasn't even anything like I thought death would be either. I was expecting there to be something on the other side to look forward to, like fluffy clouds where I could play the harp on all day.

Only, I was cold and my back hurt something fierce. That couldn't be part of death, could it?

Suddenly, the pain became worse. It felt like something was under my back trying to push through my skin.

Maybe I wasn't dead after all; I could still be lost in the woods. That would explain why it felt like I was lying on a rock. I must have fallen and hit my head. Yeah, that explained everything, those people were just hallucinations, and I couldn't move because of the fall.

Just a concussion.

I breathed in deep, surprisingly calm, and fought with my body to get my eyes open.

After an eternity, I was able to crack open my eyes, and to my utter relief, I found myself lying on a hard forest floor. I never thought I'd be happy to be lying down in the dirt with leaves in my air and the sun in my eyes - wait…the sun? I blinked me eyes against the sun and frowned. Just how long have I been here?

My foster mom was probably pulling her hair out right now. "Okay, Kat…Forget about that right now, just concentrate on moving."

My next objective was to get my arms moving, so I could pull myself off of the damn rock I was lying on. It took another eternity, but I was able to pry myself off of the damp dirt and roll over enough to get off of the rock, however, when I glanced at it, I saw that it wasn't a rock at all. It was a circular shaped stone that looked like it was attached to a ribbon.

I reached over and grabbed it so I could get a better look. It was a beautiful stone with a strange carving on it. The design looked very familiar although I wouldn't be able to tell you where I've seen it before. It reminded me of waves or a storm at sea, the swirls drew me in and I couldn't look away.

One word entered my mind: mine. This necklace was mine, and although I've never seen it before, I knew that it was mine to take; it was like it was meant for me.

I shook my head to clear my thoughts. Why do I even care about this stupid necklace? I had been out here the entire night, I was lucky I hadn't been eaten by a bear. I need to worry less about some necklace a random kid left behind, and worry more about getting out of this forest. People were probably worried sick about me anyway…there might be a search party out here right now. I should just get my crap and figure out how to find a road, that way I'll be found so I could eat something.

First things first though, find my way out of here.

I slowly got up to my stiff legs and picked up my bag, shaking it a little to get the leaves off of it.

I knew I had to start looking for moss, because apparently it always points towards civilization, and if I found a house or something, I would most likely know where I was.

Damn, I still couldn't believe I got lost. I've lived here almost my whole life… I should have been able to find my way out of there in no time. Although my legs were still a bit stiff, I began to shuffle off in search of moss.

It was a good twenty minutes before I was able to find any, but by then I was so happy at the sight that I would have kissed it if I weren't afraid of the bugs that might be hiding in it. The moss was facing my right, so I quickly changed courses and speed walked in that direction, invigorated at the thought of a nice warm shower.

**o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o**

"Ouch!" I yelled and sat on the floor. I lifted up my foot and examined the bottom of my shoe. I had stepped on a particularly sharp rock and was worried it would have pierced the bottom of my tennis shoes, but thankfully I wasn't that unlucky, and the bottom of my shoe was fine, but it still hurt like hell.

This was just great. It felt like I've been walking for hours, I might have just handicapped myself, and I was hungry and thirsty. Not to mention my bag was getting extremely heavy - wait… My bag!!! I had shoved food in there before I left last night. Why hadn't I remembered that earlier?

Suddenly in a better mood, I dumped the contents of the bag on the floor so I could take inventory. Separating the contents into food and nonfood items, I looked to see what I shoved into my bag. I had two bags of Skittles, a big bag of Doritos, some oatmeal cookie thingies, and a banana. Great. No real food or even any water. I sighed and picked up the banana, that would do for now. Peeling the skin down, I gave the other pile of stuff a look. I had a pair of fixed dice (when had I put that in there?), a broken flashlight, my awesome warm blanket, my pocket knife (which I put in my pocket, since I was still paranoid of a bear attack), jeans and a t-shirt, and sandals. I sighed and gave the bag another shake, hoping I would find a water bottle or something, but the only thing that fell out was the necklace.

My necklace, my mind corrected me.

I took a bite of the banana and squeezed the necklace into my fist, ignoring the sense of possessiveness that overcame me.

I'd never seen this before. This isn't mine. I looked at it again and felt the impulse to put it on. Not mine, I told myself.

_Put it on._

What would it hurt? I asked myself. The ribbon was slightly frayed, so it had been out here for a while, so if it was really important to its owner, than they would have came and got it. Anyway, if anyone comes up to me when I get back to the town and tells me it's theirs, then I'd be glad to give it back.

I looked at it one last time before fastening it around my neck.

My whole body was raked with a violent shiver as the cool stone made contact with my neck.

I jerked and grabbed the cool stone, pulling it away from my skin. _Ok…that was weird._ I slowly lowered the stone back onto my skin to see if it would happen again, but as the stone made contact, nothing happened. Was I just imagining things? Was it just a random cold chill?

I groaned and rubbed my eyes with the back of my hand. "I'm going crazy, aren't I?" I asked myself out loud.

"I'd say you were." Came a laugh from behind me.

I sighed as a huge wash of relief came over me. Finally, someone found me; I wouldn't have to wander around anymore. I turned around to meet my rescuer, but froze. It was just a little girl. She looked to be about ten years old, and had a strange dull brown wrap dress on, it was torn and dirty, but she looked to be at home in it. I looked at her face and she smiled at me. She was a cute girl, if you get past the dirt smeared on her face, and the fact that she was missing one of her teeth.

Strange, this is definitely not someone from a search and rescue party… But I smiled at her anyway, she might be able to get me out of here. "Um, do you know how to get out of this forest?"

The girl ignored my question, and just blinked her green eyes up at me instead. "I've never seen anyone from the Water Tribe before…Your pants look weird, is that the style in the Water Tribe? How were those pants made? It must have taken weeks."

I looked down at my jeans, they weren't that tight, but not wanting to waste time, I ignored all of her annoying questions. "Hi, I'm Kat."

"Are you from the North or South?" she asked me.

"What?" I asked back.

"Which Water Tribe are you from?" she prompted.

"Water Tribe?" I asked, giving her a strange look. "I'm from Mulbine."

"What's that?" She asked, pursing her lips.

I raised my eye brows at her, how could she not know? "It's about ten minutes from the lake."

"There isn't a lake around here." The little scratched her head.

Ok, definatly a strange girl who obviously doesn't get out much. "Listen, could you just take me to where you live." I asked, hoping that they would have a phone I could use.

"I don't know…" She shuffled her feet and glanced around. "I'm not supposed to bring home strangers. Last time, daddy got mad."

"Oh, ok then." I tapped my foot, thinking of something else. "Um, you see I'm lost, and I just want to get back home, can you help?"

"You're lost?" she looked puzzled for a minute. "I thought Water Tribe people were supposed to be good with finding their way."

"Listen, little girl-"

"Lin." She interrupted.

"-I told you, I'm from Mulbine, not 'the Water Tribe' whatever that is."

"Oh, so you were born here… Were your parents from the Water Tribe? Are you a refugee?"

I groaned. "What is this Water Tribe place you keep talking about, I've never heard about it."

"It's where you're from."

"No, its not."

"Yes, it is."

"I'm from Mulbine."

She stuck out her tongue. "No, you're not."

"What makes you think I'm from "the Water Tribe'?" I asked her, using air quotes.

"Your dark skin and blue eyes." She paused and looked up at me again. "My daddy says everyone from the Water Tribe has blue eyes."

"Well good for them, but I'm still from Mulbine."

"How is the Water Tribe different from the Earth Kingdom?" she asked me, ignoring what I just said.

"Water Tribe and Earth Kingdom? What's next…Fire Tribe?" I asked sarcastically.

"No, no, no, it's the Fire Nation. Did you fall and hit your head or something?" she asked, giving me a strange look.

I groaned and shook my head. Was it bad that I was considering walking on and finding my own way out? It would get me away from this little girl…

"OH! I know what happened!" the girls eyes brightened. "You have a…um– what's it called- amnesia! My daddy told me about it once; he says you forget things, that's why you can't remember the Water Tribe. What's the last thing you remember? Oh, wait. I guess you _can't_ remember… Well, I'll help you. Maybe there are some herbs you can-"

"Oh, my gosh, little girl, shut up." I groaned, ready to walk away right then if I had to.

"Lin." She reminded me.

I crossed my arms over my chest. "Can you please just get me out of here?"

"Oh, for the love of the gods, okay." She huffed and began walking away. "I'll show you to my daddy, he knows a lot about diseases… He can read." She told me proudly. "And on the way, you can tell me about the Water Tribe."

"I told you, I'm from Mulbi-" I cut myself off midsentence, she was already out of earshot. Annoying little kid.

As she skipped away, I just shook my head and followed. This had to be the weirdest girl I've ever met. She looked like she had rolled around in dirt all day (which, I guess, isn't strange for a ten year old), and she looked like a peasant from a renaissance fair. She was also able to chatter while she walked and apparently needing no encouragement from me. She just talked and talked and talked.

The girl was surprisingly at home in the forest though; she seemed to know exactly where to go and what areas to avoid. She led me easily through the forest until I could see a break in the trees.

Her house looked like it was a shack. Just a few walls made out of wood and sticks. I wouldn't be surprised if there was only one room in there. There were strange looking pigs roaming freely around the yard. I narrowed my eyes at the pigs to get a better look at the pigs. They looked very normal until you saw the tails; they were long and scaly, like a reptile.

"What the hell are those?" I asked Lin, horrified at what I saw.

"Those are our Lizard Pigs." She told me.

Not only do they live in a shack, they have genetically mutated animals too. That's it. I was going insane. "…Right."

She smiled at me; her missing tooth was a black hole in her mouth. "Wait here, I'll get my dad."

I rolled my eyes, like hell I was waiting out here until she got back. There was a dirt road in front of me, and that was good enough. It only took me a split second to make the decision to leave, especially since if I stayed I'd have to see her again.

I took off at a jog down the road and didn't look back.

Thankfully, the road connected to other houses along the way, and I was able to ask directions to the town from a few of their owners that had stopped and stared at me wide eyed. I raised questioning glances at them, and even thought about asking a few of them what their deal was, but I changed my mind and kept going.

It seemed like everyone was wearing the same kind of wrap dresses and long tunics that Lin's family had been. I actually felt a little awkward in my jeans and loose t-shirt (having stashed my jacket away in my bag due to the heat), which were probably the reasons why everyone was staring at me. No one wore shoes either, it weirded me out a little, but these people seemed to like the feel of dirt in their toes, so I just pretended I didn't notice. This must be one of those communities that lived life like it was the eighteenth century. None of them wore modern clothes, and there wasn't a power pole in sight.

The main town was even weirder. It reminded me of the time that I went to a swap meet in Los Angeles. Everyone was bartering and trading (although they weren't using food and animals in LA).

This was all so unreal; it was like I was in a different world.

I went up to one of the stalls and found myself facing a man with dark brown hair long enough to tie up, and a tanned, leathery face.

He smiled at me, but I could tell he was trying not to look at my strange clothes. "What can I get for you today?" he asked me politely.

"Hello, can you possibly tell me how to get to Mulbine?" I asked him, praying that he could.

"Mulbine?" He looked thoughtful for a moment. "Nope, sorry. Never heard of it."

"Oh…" I said, disappointed. "Thanks anyway." I began to walk away in search of another stall, but he called me back.

"Here, take this." He handed me a piece of meat on a stick. "Today is a day of celebration; no one is leaving my stall without something today." He smiled big and laughed so hard his belly shook.

I took it greedily, and bit into it quickly, suddenly noticing how little that banana helped my hinger. "Thank you…but what is the celebration for?"

His smile widened. "The Avatar passed through our town yesterday and rid us of the Fire Nation!" A few people who were nearby overheard and cheered loudly.

"Avatar?" I questioned quietly. Why did that word sound so familiar?

"Yeah, it was great. The group of soldiers had been leeching off of our town for weeks, but the little guy scared them off. He's out hero!" He laughed again. "Here!" he handed me another piece of meat. "Have another one!"

"Thank you!" I gladly accepted the other offering and continued walking through the town, still wondering where I had heard that Avatar word before.

Everywhere I walked, people were handing out free food. They were the kindest town I had ever been to. There must be something in the water…or maybe it was this Avatar person they kept talking about everywhere I turned. Maybe I should find him and demand he come to my-

Wait…

I frowned.

…Find the Avatar…

I felt the memory pull at the back of my mind again.

…_seek out the __A__vatar…_

Those four words swirled around my mind, but where had I heard them before?

Suddenly, something hard made contact with my stomach and I fell back hard. I grabbed my stomach and looked up with watery eyes. Two guilty looking boys were staring back at me with horror on their faces. And a wooden makeshift bat in their hands.

I glared at them and motioned for them to come towards me, I wanted my apology. But they didn't budge. They looked at each other and ran in the opposite direction. I grumbled and was about to take off after them, but something happened first that stopped me in my tracks.

A small, fragile looking old woman stepped out in front of them and they skidded to a halt and ran in the other direction, back towards me. They obviously thought that they'd rather take me on than that old lady. And the reason was clear to me a minute later. The lady lifted her hands up high, and right when she did, the boys were surrounded by four walls of solid looking dirt that reached their shoulders.

I stayed frozen for a moment, then rubbed my eyes and laughed; sure that my eyes were playing tricks on me, but when I opened my eyes again, the box of earth was still there.

I choked out a small sob.

"What the hell?!?" I yelled out loud, oblivious to the crowd.

The lady hobbled up to the box and stabbed her arm straight through the solid block of dirt. I was too scared even to flinch as she grabbed a hold of one of the boy's ear and pulled on it. While she was distracted with one boy, the other one did a sloppy looking chop with his hand and broke down the whole wall. He took off like a bat out of hell (to the laughter of all the adults that had seen the spectacle), but he didn't get far, another person stepped in and grabbed him roughly by the arm and held him there.

Something pulled at the back of my mind, a memory trying to force its way to the front, and with a flash… It did.

Suddenly, I remembered.

…_We're here because we need you...We need you in our world— in our time...We are spirits from another world. We've come for you…_

"No." I spoke out loud. I was still sleeping; I still had that damn concussion. I raised my hand high and slapped myself across the face, when I felt the answering sting, I wanted to cry. I gave myself another hard smack, but I didn't wake up back in the forest. I was still in the middle of a crowded market. "No, no, no…"

It can't be true…I just wandered into a different town, not a different world. Although…this did make everything make sense. The weird clothes, the lack of anything electrical… It all made sense now.

"Oh, my God." I spoke aloud. It wasn't a dream, was it? I really was in a different world.

"Oh, God…oh, God…" I started having a panic attack in the middle of the crowded street.

I started crying pathetically, snot coming out of my nose while I was hyperventilating, making it even harder to breathe. I could sense people staring at me, and one person approaching me (maybe the kid with the bat?), but whoever it was quickly changed their minds and scampered away.

"What am I going to do?" I asked no one in particular.

"How about getting out of the middle of the street?" Someone asked rudely.

My head whipped up and my eyes came in contact with a pair that was coral green. She was a little girl (but thank god, she was older than Lin) of about twelve, with inky black hair that was tied back into a bun and held back with a headband. She was short, but since I was sitting down, I was able to see that she was wearing clothes much finer than the others. Hers were brighter, made with a finer material, and just looked more comfortable. I tried to grab onto her arm, but she was as quick as lightening, and sidestepped me, leaving me grasping nothing but air.

With a snort of laughter, she began to walk away.

"Wait!" I called then got up and ran towards her.

This girl could help, I felt it. She looked a lot smarter than everyone else. If anyone could take me to the Avatar, it was her.

"Wait!" I called again when he didn't stop.

I wiped at my face and continued running, ready to chase her until nightfall if I needed to.

I saw the girl's left hand twitch, and suddenly I jerked to a stop. My foot would absolutely not move, and when I looked down, I had to stifle a small terrified squeal. She had buried my foot in the dirt up to my ankle. I looked at her retreating figure and then back to the foot. I was not letting her get away. I reached into my bag, pulled out a sandal, and used it as a shovel to dig my foot out.

In a few seconds I was free and back on her tail. "Wait! Please help me!"

Finally, she stopped and turned towards me. I groaned gladly, panting in tiredness. "Thank you." I took another second to catch my breath. "I need you to help me find the Avatar."

"I don't even know you…" she crossed her arms over her chest.

"I know, but…" I scratched my head, not really having something to say to that. "I need help."

"What makes you think I know where the Avatar is anyway?"

"Even if you didn't, I know you'd be able to find him. I feel it."

"I'm blind. How would I be able to help you find him?" she told me bluntly with a smirk. A challenge. My answer could make or break her decision on helping me.

"I saw you when you were walking away from me, you're fast and you were able to avoid people. You may be blind, but you're not helpless."

Something twitched in her face (a smile?). "Okay, I am now interested." She started at me (or right through me I guess) and I could tell that she was calculating. "Before I agree, I want you to give me something. A payment, you could say."

I frowned at her, she was just like Tina, I could tell from her expression, and I knew just how to deal with people like her. Give her something good, and you'd have her loyalty.

I thought hard about what I had with me. Would she want my sandals? I'd probably never use those again…but no, she's not wearing any shoes either. What could I give her? Candy? No…I wanted to save that for myself…oh…I had it.

I smiled and reached into my bag and dug around until I found them, when I did, I put them right in her hand.

She seemed to concentrate as she held them in her hand. "What is this? Two squares with holes on the sides? You gave me dice? Great…um. Not interested." She was about to throw them back at me and leave, I could tell.

"Their fixed dice…cheat dice. No matter what, they'll always land on seven. _No matter what_."

"Really?" she asked and then tossed them onto the ground. When they landed on seven, she smiled. "It's a deal, I'll help you."

I sighed and almost cried of happiness. I didn't know why I was supposed to find the Avatar, or what I would do when I got there, but I was going anyway. "My name is Kat. Nice to meet you."

"My name is Toph." She stuck out her hand. "And don't think I just go around and play guide with people, I'm just bored."

**o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o**

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**Read and Review? Feedback is always lovely!**

**And yes.. I didn't forget that this is a Zutara...she'll meet him and everyone else eventually.**


	3. Toph

**I love it when my beta sends me back the chapters, and lately there has been less and less red…so either I'm getting better, or my beta is getting lazy. I'm opting for the first one.**  


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"I still can't believe it…" I marveled at Toph. "They just let you go?"

"Yeah." Her answer was more of an annoyed sigh than a definite answer.

"My foster mom would have killed herself before letting me wander off on a mission with a complete stranger." I had to speed walk to keep up with Toph, but I was determined not to fall behind in the crowded market place. The last thing I would want is to get separated from her, I knew for a fact that she wouldn't wait for me.

Toph grunted in response and examined a few cuts of meat that were displayed at the butcher's stall. I watched her intently as she bent low over the meat and sniffed it.

"How are we going to find the Avatar anyway?" I asked her, wrinkling my nose at the meat. It looked like it had been out all day… Not very sanitary at all, and she seemed to think so too because she passed it right up and went on to the fruits.

"We're going to use your bag to carry all of the food." She told me without answering my question.

I sighed and nodded my head, aware that she wouldn't see the gesture, but also equally aware that she wouldn't care what my answer was going to be either way. She gave the orders, and I listened...at least for now. "What am I going to do with all of the things I'm already carrying?"

"Trade it." She said offhandedly. "Get some food."

"You want me to barter with them?" I asked her, barely hiding how excited I was at the prospect.

She grunted her approval again and continued smelling the fruit. "I'll find you when I'm done." She said, clearly dismissing me.

I smiled like a little kid set loose in a candy shop. Because, in truth, I was dying to explore the market. Ever since I got over my little panic attack and heard we were going to gather food and supplies before we left, I had wanted to wander around. But most of all, I wanted to get my hands on one of those pretty wrap dresses the women wore, they were seriously growing on me, and I knew I had to have one so I would fit in.

I looked down at myself and blushed. I had realized, about an hour ago, exactly why so many people were staring at me before. My clothes, compared to theirs, were way too tight and revealing. Although my jeans weren't skintight, they still revealed my legs, which is something that none of the women did. I probably looked like a prostitute to them.

So first thing was first…get a new outfit. I glanced around for Toph, ready to ask her directions to the cloths stall, but she was already long gone. _Great._ I pivoted my feet and began wandering down the market. For a while, I passed only ones that sold meats and vegetables, but soon I started finding stalls that sold jewelry so I knew I must have been getting close.

With a quick scan and squeal of delight, I was able to spot a stall with an old lady selling what looked like used clothes. I was hoping for new, but this town looked very secluded, so I better take what I can get. I hurried over to her and introduced myself as Kat. "I obviously need new clothes…can you help me find something?" I asked her awkwardly.

The lady looked me up and down with a practiced eye. "You are very small."

"Um…"

"I will see if I have anything that will fit you."

"Thank you." I told her and watched as she dug around in a box of clothes that she had half-hidden under the stall's table.

I watched her old and wrinkled face as she dug through an assortment of colors, all of which were different shades of green.

Finally she looked back at me. "Unfortunately, I have nothing that will fit you."

"Damn…" I muttered to myself. "Um…I can sew, so can I buy fabric from you instead?" I asked hopefully.

The women nodded her head and went to retrieve her box of fabric. I smiled and silently thanked Lisa for making me take a sewing class at adult school. I had hated it at first, but I soon realized that it was a talent of mine. Thank God that all of my talents had taken an artistic turn.

The women returned with the box and let me dig through it to my hearts content. There were many beautiful colors, but when I got to the bottom, a gorgeous blue caught my eye. I immediately pulled it out and asked her is she had any other blues like the one I had found. She informed me that her house was not far and that I could walk down with her to check. I immediately followed her, and within minutes, I was at another small shack-like house.

When I walked through her door, I smiled. It was heaven. She had rolls of fabric everywhere, blues, purples, greens, browns, and many red colors. "Where did you get all of these?" I asked her in wonder, surprised that she would have silks like this in such a poor town.

"I travel a lot…" she muttered and then settled herself into a comfy looking chair. "You're lucky you caught me, I was planning on leaving in another week or so."

I smiled at my luck and started browsing her collection. I ran around for a solid five minutes before I settled back to the blues, it had always been my favorite color.

"What do you want for them?" I asked her warily, still poking around and comparing all of the different shades together.

She looked me up and down and seemed to think to herself for a minute. "Well…I am curious about the clothes you have on now. May I examine the fabric?"

I smiled. "Sure." I reached into my bag and pulled out the extra jeans and t-shirt, and then handed them to her.

She took them greedily and sat down at her chair to examine it. "I have never seen this kind of material before…" she mused and rubbed the fabric between her hands. "It is so tightly woven. What is it called?"

"Denim."

"Denim…" she said the word with difficulty, and then began stretching my jeans and twisting them back and forth. "Well this denim is very durable. And the feel of this interesting shirt is strange to me as well. I have traveled to many lands for different fabrics, but these…" She let her sentence hang.

I sighed happily. "Well, I _could_ trade you those for this fabric." I held up three different rolls of fabric, one a dark navy, a regular blue, and a lighter shade.

I had to hide my smile from the old lady as she made her decision. When I had originally packed this bag, I had debated whether I should bring extra clothes, as they were only taking up space, but now I couldn't be happier. I had Bobby and his friends to thank for my good fortune, if I hadn't been paranoid that the boys would throw me into the lake, I would have nothing to barter with.

"Not only will I give you the fabric, I will also give you the supplies needed for sewing." The old lady said with a smile.

"Thank you." I told her and left before she had the opportunity to change her mind. With a half smile on my face, I hurried away with my new stuff.

I paused at the first stall I came to and had to try and force the fabrics into my already full bag…which was how Toph found me.

"What did you get?" she asked me carrying an armful of fruits.

I looked up at her and frowned. I had completely forgotten about getting food, and I was sure she was going to kill me for it. "Well I was going to get myself a new outfit, but they didn't have one that would fit me, so I got fabric instead. I'm going to make a new-"

"What about food?" Toph deadpanned.

"I was going to go get clothes first and then-" I began but was cut off.

"So I leave you alone for a half an hour with one goal, trade your stuff for food, and you end up with even more stuff than when we began?" she asked, an edge creeping onto her voice. I could tell that she thought I had the mindset of a three year old.

But there was no denying that she was right. "Yeah. " I admitted guiltily. "But look, all I had left was food anyway… See?" I thrust my bag at her and waited, but she just stared at me and began to laugh.

"No." she said between her giggles.

I furrowed my brows and frowned. But then, I realized what I did. I felt horrified at my mistake. She was blind, how could I not remember that she wouldn't be able to see anything? "I'm sorry."

She grunted at me, still smiling. "Is there really food in this?" She indicated at my bag.

"Yes." I told her, but then hastily added "-but not the healthy kind."

"Well, that's sure not a lie." She said, grinning, and then sidestepped so someone could pass her on the street.

I pursed my lips. This girl was a strange one. She was blind, but she was able to walk in crowds and still know more about her surroundings than I was able to. "How are you able to do that?"

"Do what?" she asked, not aware she did anything strange.

"How do you know what's going on around you? It's almost like you _can_ see."

"Well… I can." She took a deep breath. "You see through your eyes, but I don't, I see through my feet… I can feel the vibrations and can see that way."

"Wow, that's cool. So if I threw a rock like fifty feet away you'd know where it lands?" I asked her.

"Yeah, but there's more to it." She sighed. ""How do I explain this? I can feel _any_ vibrations, I can tell if people are lying, I can even tell you where a colony of ants are right now."

"So you can feel everything at once?" I asked her and she nodded. "Wow, that must get annoying…"

She gave me a strange look. "Yeah, sometimes it can be… A lot of the time I end up knowing way too much. You try sleeping and then getting woken up by your parents going to the bathroom down the hall. Hell, I even know that you picked at a wedgie a while back."

"Wow." I said at a loss for words. "But it is kind of cool."

"Sometimes, but I'd still like to be able to see what people look like. All I ever know about someone is what their voice sounds like and a general body shape."

"Hmm… Well, I'll be your eyes for you." I said, smiling. "I you ever want to know what anyone looks like then you can ask me."

"What do you look like?" she asked immediately.

"Oh, well, I have long brown hair that is wavy, and right now it is seriously messed up and in desperate need of a brush." I paused and had to keep from laughing at myself. She doesn't know what I look like, and the first mental image I'm giving her is one that describes me as having bed head. That's just great Kat, always saying too much. "And I'm sure you've noticed people watching me, but it's because I'm wearing strange clothes. Well, strange to them, which is why I had to buy fabric, I need to make a new dress. Oh, I'm getting off track… I have blue eyes and darkish skin, especially compared to everyone here-"

"Wow." Toph cut me off. "You talk a lot. I'll probably not be asking you no matter how curious I am…"

Yeah, she's exactly like Tina, bold and honest. I probably couldn't even count the number of times Tina told me to shut up. "Sorry, next time I'll only give you need to know information." I promised her.

"Yeah, I'm sure…" She tossed the armful of fruit into my lap and then smiled. "Ready to go?"

I took a deep breath, suddenly feeling nervous about venturing into the wilderness with a twelve year old girl. Was I going to be safe? Would Toph be able to protect us if we were attacked by something… Or someone?

I squeezed my eyes shut and told myself to be quiet. I had to do this if I ever wanted to go home. "Yes. Let's go."

**o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o**

"Ok, we'll stop here for the night." Toph said with a yawn and stretched, un-kinking her back.

"Oh, thank God." I murmured and collapsed onto my butt. I was exhausted, my feet were killing me, and I was starving, but Toph seemed to be none of the above. She looked like she could go on for hours without breaking a sweat. I felt out of shape, maybe I should have tried harder in P.E. Then I wouldn't be about to die of exhaustion.

Toph went to the area in the middle of our makeshift campground and bent over to put her hand on the ground. I watched her curiously as she patted the ground a few times and then nodded. She straightened up and then out of nowhere, she stomped on the ground and twisted her foot. The ground beneath her foot gave way and created a perfect circle shaped crater.

I stared at her wide eyed, too freaked out to even flinch. I was never going to get used to people doing that.

Toph just cracked her knuckles and sat down. "Go get some wood and water, we'll need it." Toph pulled a water skin out of my bag and handed it to me. "And when you get back, you need to make a fire."

"When did this get in there?" I asked her, holding up the water skin.

"I put it in before we left… Just go get the water." she said.

"Okay." I told her. "Where will I find the water?

"I don't know, you're the Water Tribe girl, use waterbending or something."

"Water bending?" I asked in confusion.

"Yeah, you know…Whoosh!" Toph made a weird hand gesture. "Like earthbending, but with water."

I scoffed at her. "What makes you think I can do that?"

"I don't know, you are from the Water Tribe, those are the only people with blue eyes, so I just assumed that you could waterbend."

"Well I can't." I had to hold back my laugh at her assumption. I would never be able to do anything like that, i imagined you had to be coordinated for something like that, and coordinated I was not.

"Ok, then you'll just have to do it the normal person way." She laughed at me and lay on the dirt, relaxing.

"Yeah, whatever." I told her, not excited about going into a dark forest.

"Hurry up, I'm hungry!" Toph yelled after me as I made my way into the forest.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah… Jerk." I muttered and wondered how the hell I would be able to find water in the dark.

"I heard that!" Toph yelled from the camp.

I sighed and shook my head breathing in the fresh air and-

Suddenly, I stopped and sniffed the air. I could have sworn I could smell rain, but when I looked up, there were no clouds in sight, just the moon and stars.

I turned to my left and stared into the darkness, I had the weirdest urge to go in that direction, and I knew I had to listen to it. With a frown, I followed my instinct and headed into the night, unaware of anything but the urge to keep going. Every once in a while, my instinct told me to turn right or lift, and the further I went, the more calm I became. Suddenly, I smelled it again. Water. The smell of a fresh rain, of the lake I got lost at.

There was water up ahead, I could feel it.

My brows furrowed. It was like I knew exactly where the water was, like the water was calling me to it… But that's crazy, water cant talk.

I shook my head and told myself that it was luck that led me here, not the water. I pulled the waterskin off of my neck and filled it with the water. When it was as full as I could get it, I washed my face and the headed back towards camp.

I had a general idea as to where it was and knew that I would be able to find it eventually, and even if I wasn't able to, Toph would find me easily.

I walked and walked, jumping over plants and logs, picking up sticks for the fore on the way. Soon my hands were full, but I was lost. I should have paid more attention to where I was going earlier. I wasn't nervous or scared; I'd give Toph ten minutes before she came and got me, that is if she wanted to eat tonight because I doubted she could cook.

"SUGAR QUEEN!" a yell came from the direction I assumed camp was. "I'm hungry, hurry up!"

I had to stifle my snort of laughter… Sugar queen? I was going to have a talk with her about that. Using the string of complaints that followed, I was able to follow her loud voice back to camp.

"Sugar queen?" I asked her when I dumped the sticks into the fire pit. "You've barely known me for a day, and you've already given me a nickname?"

"I had you pinned as a sugar queen the second I met you." She waved her hand in the air in dismissal. "Your type is easy to characterize."

"Well, if I'm sugar queen, then I get to choose your nickname…" I told her, grabbing two of the sticks and rubbing them together just like I've seen survivor man doing it.

"Whatever you say, sugar queen!" She laughed. "Now hurry up with dinner."

"You'll be lucky if I don't spit in your food…" I mumbled, watching in surprise as the sticks began to smoke. I had thought that it wouldn't work, and I'd have to try something else, but it looked like luck was on my side tonight. I went fasted and started blowing on the hot spot as I began to see little embers. I quickly reached over and grabbed the ball of dry grass and put it on top of the little embers. It immediately caught fire, and I had to quickly put it in the fire pit before I dropped it. I piled some sticks on top of it and then did a little jig as they lit on fire. "Yes!" I shouted.

"I heard that you know, I'll kill you if you spit in my food!"

"I said 'can you help'?" I lied, aware that she knew.

"I don't do well when it comes to cooking, so dinner is up to you." Toph yawned.

"Okay, I'll cook." I put my hands near the fire to warm them, too tired to argue with her. "Can you, I don't know, use your bending to make a house or something; I don't want to sleep in the dirt." I asked her.

"A house?" she laughed for a minute. "That would take even me forever, and I'm the greatest earthbender ever!"

I raised my eyebrows at her and shook my head. "Greatest earthbender ever? Ha. All I've seen you do is bury my feet up to my ankles in dirt and make a hole in the ground. That's hardly amazing, earlier I saw an old lady make a wall of earth. That was cool."

"That's the best you've seen an earthbender do?" she asked in amazement. "Where are you from? The boonies?"

"Uh, yeah." I told her, suddenly nervous.

Her head quickly snapped in my direction. "That was a lie."

"Uh…"

"You never did tell me where you were from…"

"I didn't?" I asked slowly, carefully.

"No, where are you from? What town?" she asked, suspicious of my suddenly quickly beating heart.

"I come from Mulbine." I told her the truth so she wouldn't be suspicious.

"I come from a rich family, so I'm very well educated. I know every Earth Kingdom town, but I've never even heard of Mulbine. Is that in the Earth Kingdom?"

Dammit, she had me. She would know if I was lying, so if I said yes, she would call me out on that. If I said no, then that would just lead to more questions. If I told her the truth, would she think I was crazy? She'd probably leave me out here alone and never look back. But if I didn't tell the truth right now, she would never trust me and probably end up leaving me anyway. Would she keep my secret?

"If I tell you, will you promise never to tell another soul?" I asked her, defeated and scared.

Her brows furrowed as if she realized that things just got very serious. "Kat? Where _are_ you from?"

"Do you promise?" I repeated, not willing to say a word until she agreed.

Her mouth opened in a sigh. "Yes."

"Ok, I really am from Mulbine… But-" Suddenly, I was spilling everything. The spirits that came to me, how I woke up in the forest and got found by a little girl, and how I eventually came to her. She stayed silent through my whole story, listening intently, probably looking for any hint of a lie, but I made sure everything I told her was the absolute truth, I wanted her to believe one hundred percent in me. After I finished, o shut my mouth and waited for her to do something.

After what seemed like an eternity, she finally spoke. "I believe you."

I sighed in relief. "Thank you."

She looked at me seriously. "You can't tell anyone this story, you know that… No one will believe you, and they'll probably think you're insane."

"I know." I assured her. "I won't tell a soul."

"Good. And get working on that new outfit, if your clothes are as strange as you say they are then you'll need to blend in. We can forget about dinner, just eat fruits and start sewing."

"Ok, good idea." I told her and then pulled out the fabric and scissors, cutting out my layout pieces. I had an idea of what I wanted to make, but I knew it would be hard and would probably take all night. The dress I would make would look something like the tunic and pants I saw one of the merchants wear, but I would make it my own way. His tunic had gone to his hips and stopped there, mine would go down to at least my knees and I would put slits up to my thighs so I could be able to walk and travel easier. While with the pants I would have loved to make shorts, I knew that I would get strange looks and my legs would get scratched up in the forest, so I would make loose fitting pants like I had seen on the men.

To make my clothes look feminine, I would have to design the tunic like the wrap dresses had been. I would make them short sleeved and put a belt around the middle. That would be a good place to put my pocket knife too. And when I get to the next town I could trade my jacket and the clothes I'm wearing now for more food and maybe some spices.

But no matter what, I'm getting this outfit done tonight.

"Kat…" Toph yawned, her open mouth showing chewed up apple. "I'm going to bed."

"Oh!" Here…take this…" I went to my bag and pulled out my blanket. "You can sleep on this."

She shook her head. "If that's a blanket or sleeping bag or anything like that, then I'll pass. I prefer to sleep on the ground. I can keep watch that way."

"Ok, good night." I told her.

She grunted again and then found a nice level spot for her to sleep in. She sat down and then punched her hands out to her side; two walls of earth came up and formed a tent. "You'll probably be up for a while, but when you're ready to sleep, you can join me."

"Thank you." I said, yawning, but I probably wasn't going to bed anytime soon.

I began cutting and comparing, piecing together my layout until I was satisfied with the result. Once I had all of my pieces cut out, I grabbed the needle and thread. I looked at it and suddenly got overwhelmed. I was going to have to sew this whole thing by hand, and suddenly, looking like a freak sounded pretty inviting. But Toph was right; I'd have to blend in. I had to do this.

I got to sewing.

**o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o**

Hours later, I finally came out of my hunchbacked stoop so I could stand up and stretch. I was almost done with my outfit. The pants had only taken around an hour or two to sew, but this tunic was taking me forever. I would kill for a sewing machine right now.

I stood up to my tip toes and stretched my whole body, pushing my arms as far above my head as possible.

I had to walk or my legs would fall off; I was almost done with my outfit anyway so I could afford a short break. I set off into the forest for my walk with the stream as my destination. I knew that last time I took a walk in the forest I got lost and ended up in another world, but I was sure that this time I would be safe; this time I knew where I was going, and the spirits would leave me alone for a while.

I was soon at the lake and ready to take a dip. I would give anything for a warm shower, but this would have to do. I took off my clothes and did a running jump into the lake, bracing myself for the cold water.

As quickly as possible, I washed myself and got out of the icy water. But despite the chill, I was happy. Being clean did that to me. I put my clothes back on my still wet body and sat down at the base of a tree, ignoring the annoying way my clothes clung to my damp skin.

The night was a beautiful one; it had to be around three or four A.M., since the stars were still out and the moon was in my view. It was slightly less than full, but it was still big and beautiful. But hell, it reminded me of the spirits or gods or whatever they were. The last time I looked at the moon, they came to me and transported me to some other weird dimension.

I noticed that I had been unconsciously rubbing the stone around my neck. I let go and sighed. The last day had been hectic. I've been taken from my world and thrown into another, and I knew nothing about what I was supposed to do here besides finding the avatar. What did he look like? Would we know him when we saw him? How is Toph going to find him?

Toph… She was a very interesting person. I could sense she was very powerful, and she could earthbend. I would hate to be fighting against her even if I _could_ waterbend like she thought I could…

I sighed and glanced at the water. Was waterbending like earthbending? Was it as powerful?

I walked over to the edge of the water and sat down in the slightly damp dirt. I put my hand in the water and sighed. What would it be like to be able to control an element like that?

What if I was able to waterbend? I wouldn't need the pocket knife anymore if I could… What if I tried it? What could I lose?

I put my hand out so that it hovered over the water and brought it up, just like I'd seen the old lady do, but no wall of water came up. I sighed, a little disappointed, but what was I expecting? I knew I couldn't waterbend.

I sighed and brought my legs up to my chest. The old lady made earthbending look so natural. She and Toph looked so happy while doing it, it was like earthbending was a part of them. I had always felt so calm around water; to be able to control it would be fun, but doing it would be hard. Water is such a free element; it wouldn't want to be controlled. Mountains had tried, but the water carved through them over time. Water was free, but earth was strong and still. Earth was like Toph, and if Toph was earth then I would be water. They were completely different, like me and Toph.

Maybe I had been coming at this wrong. It was like I was trying to earthbend the water. If I want to waterbend, then I'd have to be like the water.

What was water like? Water was smooth and free, it flows where it wants and makes its own path. I need to be relaxed, not stiff.

I loosened up my posture and put my hand back to hover over the water. I thought for a minute… Water is unique, the front, which would have to be my wrist, leads, and the rest of the water will follow, rarely breaking off into its own path. I let my hand relax completely and exhaled, concentrating on the water, picturing what I wanted and willing it to happen. I brought my hand up and up and the water followed, making a sloppy, smaller, replica of the old lady's wall.

I froze and let it drop.

Did that just happen?

I tried it again to the same result.

Then, I did the only thing any sane person would do in my position. I screamed.

I completely freaked out. I was_ not_ able to do that before I came to this world. I shook my head and crab-walked away from the water until I hit a tree, still shrieking.

Suddenly, a dark figure seemed to materialize on the other side of the stream. It happened so abruptly that I screamed again, sure that it was a murderer who was going to get me. I knew it wasn't Toph; the person was too tall and menacing looking. The person was obviously coming to kill me, why else would anyone be out and about this late?

The man, I could tell me the shape of him, put on a burst of speed and jumped over the river, landing on my side, a sword reflecting off of the moonlight in his right hand. I sucked in a breath of air and scrambled to my feet, but before I could get proper footing, a low rumbling came from the ground.

Fearing it was an earthquake, I stumbled and got away from the trees, but that put me right in the path of the killer.

The rumbling became louder as he turned towards me and reached out. Before he could do me in, a loud crack sounded and dust filled the air, swallowing me in a choking cloud of dirt. But just as soon as it appeared, it was gone, leaving Toph in its place.

I looked around for the man, but he was nowhere to be seen. "Where did he go?"

"Are you okay?" Toph asked, still half asleep, but clearly still worried. "Did he hurt you?"

"No, I'm fine, but where did he go?" I asked, frantically searching the forest.

She gave me a strange look and pointed to her feet. Right next to her left foot was a head.

I covered my mouth to stifle my scream. "You decapitated him?"

She furrowed her brows at me, but began to laugh.

"How can you be laughing? You just killed someone!" I yelled at her, glancing frantically from her to the severed head.

She began laughing even harder. "Oh, I'd love to see the look on your face right now!"

I narrowed my eyes at her and looked back down, it was then that I saw that the head was thrashing back and forth as if he were struggling. "Oh my!" I put my hand over my wildly beating heart. "I thought you killed him!"

"I know! That's what's so funny!" Toph sighed a good humored laugh and then brought her attention back to me. "Now that I'm awake, what happened? What did he do to you?"

"He just scared me, that's all. I thought he was going to kill me!" I told her, I wanted to laugh and cry at the same time, but I held it in.

"If he _just_ scared you, then why did you scream more than once?" she asked, raising her eyebrows.

"Hello! Can you get me out of here?!" The boy yelled from his little forest floor grave.

We both spared him a fleeting glance but then continued on with our conversation.

"Well, I after I got done bathing, I thought about what you said earlier, so I tried to waterbend and it worked! But it scared the crap out of me. And then I saw him, and I thought he was a murderer or something, so I screamed again."

"My arm is at a very awkward angle right now!" His voice came again.

"You're a waterbender? Cool! I'll teach you some moves then." Toph cracked her knuckles, and I got a feeling I shouldn't let her train me even if my life depended on it.

"Thanks, but do you think they'll help? I tried doing the wall thing like the old lady, but it didn't work." I told her, trying to get out of it.

"Nonsense!" She yelled and then glanced down at the boy.

I followed her lead, but I couldn't really see what he looked like, his hair covered everything but the bottom half of his face. "Who are you?" I asked, with an edge to my voice, angry at him again.

He looked up at us, and I saw one gold eye shining indignantly through the curtain of black hair. "I'm Lee, now for the love of Agni, get me out of here!"

**o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o**

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**Review please! No lurkers!! **


	4. Lee

**Sorry it took so long to update! I had lots of tests and prom was last week, so that sucked a lot of my time up. I won't be able to update for another 2 weeks (3 max) because of my AP tests. I have lots of practicing and studying to do.**

**This chapter was a lot of fun to write although it made me very angry near the end…I didn't want to update till I was satisfied with it, so just like last chapter I ended up rewriting it multiple times. Hell, I was at the computer desk so long that my butt went numb a few times!**

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**o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o**

"Ok, Toph." I grabbed one of Toph's sleeves and used it to tug her away from Lee. "Let's play 'good cop, bad cop' with him. I'll be the good cop, and you can just act normal…"

"What's a cop?" Toph asked and swatted me away from her. "Never mind, I realized I don't care…"

I smiled at her. I knew she had no idea what a cop was, that's why I said it. I was beginning to enjoy using phrases from my own time. "Let's just interrogate him. I want to know what he's doing out here in the middle of the night and why he tried to scare the crap out of me. Can you just tell me whether or not he's telling the truth?"

"Sure, as long as I can do it sitting down." Toph yawned.

"Thank you." I gave her an apologetic glance; sorry that she had to be up even though she was so tired.

I turned to the boy and stared down at him. My nose wrinkled in disgust as I noticed his appearance. His green clothes were torn and covered in dirt, although it was probably due to the fact that Toph buried him up to his neck in the earth, but the one thing that wasn't Toph's fault was his hair. His hair was an inky black color, and I could tell that it once was very nice, but now it was unkempt and unwashed, the shine replaced by dullness that came with staying in the forest (or rolling around in mud, in his case). Dirt was smudged on his chin, but he did have a nice looking mouth.

"Toph, our guest looks uncomfortable…" I said, pointing out the fact that he was still buried in dirt. "Can you see to it that he is better accommodated?"

Toph cracked her knuckles and stomped the ground. The boy rose out of the dirt and a stool made of earth replaced his prison. Toph roughly sat him down and secured his wrists and ankles in what looked like handcuffs made out of earth.

"Thank you." I said politely to Toph, still looking at the boy's hair-covered face.

I heard Toph spit on the ground in reply.

"So, Lee… We can do this the easy way or the hard way, which would you prefer?" I asked him, copying every single cop movie I'd seen.

He said nothing, just staring down at his feet in silence.

"Ok then, I'll ask you an easy question first… What are you doing here?"

Silence.

"I don't want to make Toph force the answers out of you…" I threatened.

The boy did nothing but stare at his feet.

I sighed, "Listen Lee, I'm tired, can you just cooperate with me so I can let you go?"

His head was brought up and I could feel him looking at me. "I wasn't dong anything." He answered stubbornly and flipped his black hair off to the side and out of his face and out of his eyes.

I stared at him wide-eyed for a second, but then made my face blank. I once had a friend in middle school that had been in a car accident that left her with a long scar on her cheek, but compared to Lee's scar, that was nothing. He reminded me in a sick way of Two Face from the old Batman comic books. One side of his face was perfect and smooth, handsome even, but the other was covered down to the cheek in a circular scar. I couldn't see his ear, but by the way that the scar went behind his hair, I bet it was scared as well. His eyes were piercing, one permanently narrowed. They were a molten gold color that you could get lost in, but there was sharpness to them that prevented such a thing from happening.

I didn't have to wait for Toph to know that was a lie. "I don't believe you, why were you trying to scare the crap out of me?"

He choked out scoff. "Scare you? You were the one screaming before I even got there…"

"You were the one carrying around a sword!" I yelled.

"To help you!" he glared at me. "If you would have waited, you would have seen that I was only going to help you!"

"Why would you think I needed help?"

"Hello! You were screaming! What was I supposed to think? Me, being a decent person, came over to see if you were being attacked, and I find you on the ground. Let me ask you again… What was I supposed to think?!" His face was furious, but he relaxed it quickly and went back to staring at his feet, but I could still see the annoyance.

"I didn't need help, if I did, I would have screamed 'help'." I crossed my arms over my chest and huffed.

I heard Toph snort behind me. "Nice…"

Lee just stared at me for a while, but when he opened his mouth, it was to address Toph. "Can I leave now?"

"No, you can't leave." I raised my chin in defiance. "I'm still angry with you."

"Can you at least give me the use of my arms back?" He asked through gritted teeth.

I looked him straight in the eye and smiled. "No."

"I still don't understand why I'm even in this situation… Next time I hear you scream, you better hope you're not in danger because I'm not coming to save you."

Toph chuckled. "Truth."

Zuko raised his eyebrows at Toph, but nodded anyway.

I glared at Toph. "Tell me, what you are doing in the forest? And I won't ever see you again, so it won't matter if you don't save me."

Lee rolled his eyes. "I was on my way to the next town, if you must know, I'm visiting my–"

"Lie." Toph cut in.

He scrunched his forehead. "I'm telling the truth… I'm visiting my mom."

"Big lie." Toph sat up, suddenly very interested.

"It'd be best if you told the truth… We'll know otherwise." I told him in what I thought was a cold voice. "Now tell me, what _were_ you doing?"

"Sleeping, until you decided to scream…"

Toph chuckled a few times and then sighed. "Truth."

"Thank you, Toph…" I rolled my eyes at her. "Now, Lee… What were you doing in the forest? Are you some kind of killer who prowls the forest looking for innocent girls to take advantage of?"

"What are you talking about?" he asked, glancing at Toph and giving her a look that clearly questioned my sanity, unaware that she was blind. "Just let me go and you'll never see me again."

"You'll go when I say you can." I told him, picking at the dirt in my fingernails. "Now tell me why you were in the forest…"

"Why are _you_ in this forest?" he asked, throwing the question back at me.

I glared at him. "I'm looking for someone." I told him nonchalantly.

"Well, what a coincidence, so am I." I had a feeling he would have crossed his arms had they not been in restraints.

"Truth."

"I thought you were visiting your mother." I said in a mocking voice.

He glared at me, but kept his mouth shut. I definitely did _not_ like this guy, he's a jerk. I used to know guys like this at school. The type that think they rule the school, that their royalty or something. They try to act like bad-asses and think the world is out to get them. I hated those people.

"Who are you looking for?" I asked, deciding I wouldn't let him go until I was satisfied.

"No one important…" He replied.

"Whoa…big lie." Toph stood up and walked over to my side. "But why?" I saw, in Toph's eyes, the same spark I saw when she felt me lying.

"Let's find out…" I murmured. "Who are you looking for?" I asked him again.

"A friend."

"Wow… Even bigger lie. This guy is sweating up a storm!" Toph bounced up and down on her toes eagerly.

"Now you're awake…" I told Toph and then looked back at Lee. "Like I said before, there's no use in lying, we'll know."

"Hurry up and get the truth out of him, I'm tired and want to go to bed while its still dark, but I can feel it won't be long…"

"Yeah, I can feel it getting warmer already."

"It doesn't get very cool here, does it?" I asked her, aware that this was probably annoying Lee.

"Not really, even in the winter it's not bad."

"Maybe I should sell my jacket then, we could get some money that way… What kind of currency do you use here?"

"We use-"

Lee cleared his throat. "Can I go now?"

I turned my attention back to him. "Not till you tell me who you're looking for…"

"I don't have to tell you anything." He growled.

"Well, get comfortable then, I can stand here all day, I'm used to it… I'm a waitress." I told him, aware that the term meant next to nothing to him.

"It would be easier just to tell us what you're up to. You see…you got Toph interested, and I can say from personal experience that once she's curious, she _will_ find out…" I told him nonchalantly.

He stared defiantly at me and said nothing.

I pulled Toph aside, but did nothing to keep discreet, I no longer cared and he already seemed to know I was full of bull.

"Here's the deal…" Toph started. "I'm tired and I want to sleep, I opt for just leaving him here. He'll get out eventually."

I heard even more struggling behind me but I had faith her restraints would hold, so I just ignored him. "Ok, that's it then. We need to leave tomorrow morning though… We'll never be able to catch the Avatar if we don't.

Toph was silent for a minute; even Lee stopped his struggling and was quiet.

"The Avatar is about a week ahead of us; we should be able to catch up to him in about two weeks. He stops often, so as long as he doesn't fly on that beast he has, we should catch him before he gets to the ocean, but if he does, you're on your own. I don't like the water."

"He has a flying beast?" I asked dubiously.

"Yeah, that's how I've been able to follow him, there are signs of it everywhere, if you know what to look for. I've been following the beast's footprints. The Avatar and his companion seemed to try and cover them up, but I'm a master earthbender, they can't hide them from me…"

"Once I see that, I will have truly seen everything." I said more to myself, than to her.

"What's wrong with you?" Toph suddenly yelled over my shoulder at Lee.

I turned around and frowned. Lee was looking at us, actually it was more like _past_ us, he practically had a sign flashing on his forehead that read 'Deep in thought: do not disturb!'

"He's just thinking of a way to escape." I scoffed. "So this beast thing, can it really fly?"

"Yeah, on my way to the town, I heard it flying over me."

I smiled. "Cool, I wish I brought my camera, that would be a nice picture to show my-" I closed my mouth and frowned at Toph. "What do you mean 'when I was on my way to town'? I thought you lived there…"

Toph shrugged. "I lied."

"You what?" I asked loudly. "Did you even tell your parents you were leaving?"

"No, but they'll know by now." Toph laughed at her comment.

"They probably think I kidnapped you! Crap, what am I going to do?" I asked myself. "I hould have known…what kind of parents would let their daughter just leave like that-"

"Did you guys say you were looking for the Avatar?" he cut in.

"Yeah, so? What's it to you?" I asked him with as much attitude as I could muster. I gave Toph the classic 'we'll talk about this later' look, but I remembered she was blind so I nudged her in the side and whispered it to her instead.

"Nothing." He grunted.

"Lie." Toph singsonged.

Lee's eyes snapped up to Toph and then back to me.

"We know when your lying, so don't even bother." I glanced at Toph and rolled my eyes at her. She was definitely in big trouble.

"Why are you searching for the Avatar?" he asked, looking me in the eyes.

Toph cut in. "Same reason as everyone else I guess." She lied, easily sounding uninterested.

"How are you planning on finding him?"

I stared back at him. "We have our ways."

"This is pointless, I'm going back to sleep." Toph threw her arms up in exasperation and stalked off towards camp.

She disappeared into the trees, leaving me alone with Lee. "You brought this on yourself you know. I'm going to leave, and you're going to have to get yourself out alone. It'll teach you to scare girls." I told him and followed after Toph, unaware of how Lee's mouth hung open at my statement.

In only a few minutes, and a brief moment of getting lost, I was back at the camp. Toph was already in her 'tent' snoring softly and spread out so that her arms and legs were everywhere. It looked like I wouldn't be able to join her when I was done, there would be no room.

I sat down with my stuff and picked up my outfit. It seemed that I was actually farther along than I thought I was, I only had to finish the hems and then I would be done. After sewing for hours, the motions of sewing had become quick, so I finished in only twenty more minutes. For an extra feeling of security, I grabbed some of my scrap fabric and sewed a little pocket on the leggings for my pocket knife. If I ever needed it, I'd rather it be right there, than have to dig around in my bag for it.

Feeling a rush of inspiration, I took the rest of the scraps and made a trim for the tunic.

I looked up at the sky and almost wanted to cry, it looked like I would only get three hours of sleep tonight since Toph surely would want to get up in the crack of dawn. I pulled my blanket out of my bag, unfolded it, and used my jacket as a pillow. I was out like a light.

**o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o**

"Kat, wake up."

In my last fragments of sleep, my dream tried to incorporate Toph's voice into itself, but it failed, and I ended waking up anyway.

"I was awake." I told Toph, "Just resting, that's all."

With one glance up at the sky I could see that I was right, it was still kind of dark out, the sun barely peaking over the horizon.

"Uh huh, sure." Toph mumbled and yawned again. "I don't care who we find tomorrow night, we are not staying up that late again…"

"Agreed." I sighed and slowly got up. When I rolled my neck on my shoulders, more out of habit than necessity, I cringed when I felt sharp pain. Getting used to sleeping on the ground was going to take some time, but I'd like to think that I wouldn't always wake up sore in the mornings.

I looked over to my bag and stared at it for a while, half zoning out, and half thinking about what I would make for breakfast. After about five minutes of this, I finally got up and grabbed two oatmeal cream pies and tossed one to the still sleepy Toph. "We can eat it on the go." I told her, jumping to shake off the sleep.

"What is this?" Toph asked loudly, poking at the plastic wrapper.

"Its breakfast. Eat."

"How?" She asked, shaking it up and down.

""Oh…I forgot." I went up to her and tore open the wrapper for her. "Ok, now eat it."

Toph sniffed it once, wrinkled her forehead, and took a bite. After a few moments of careful chewing, Toph finally spoke. "This is good, but it tasted kind of weird."

I smiled. "Its probably all of the chemicals and preservatives. Just wait until I let you try my Skittles…"

Toph shook her head and shoved the rest into her mouth. "Can I have another?"

"Later, let's go… Just lead the way." I said happily; we were one day closer to finding the Avatar.

"How can you be so awake right now? I'm exhausted!" Toph told me, demolishing her earth tent.

I shrugged. "I used to pull all-nighters all the time; I practically became nocturnal."

"Your time is a strange one…" Toph began walking away, leaving my scrambling to shove my blanket into my bag.

"Wait!" I yelled, remembering my new outfit. "I have to change before I go."

Toph stopped and tapped her foot impatiently. "Just hurry, were already running late."

I stripped off my clothes quickly and with a little paranoia, even though I knew Toph was blind and that no one would walk in on me. It just felt weird to be in my bra and underwear out in the forest. As quickly and as carefully as possible, I pulled on the pants and tied the pull strings I made for them. I was even more careful with the shirt, I did _not_ want to tear any of the stitches and start all over again.

When I was done, I looked down at myself. It all fit reasonably well and I thought it looked pretty damn good. The tunic reached just above my knees and hid the pocket for my knife well, and the slit up my thigh made it easily accessible too.

I turned to Toph for her opinion, but then I realized she was blind and immediately shut my mouth. "Ok, I'm ready."

"Alright then, the footprints are leading to Gansu so that's where were going."

**o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o**

I couldn't shake the feeling we were being followed, but every time I looked at Toph, she seemed to be at ease so I ignored it. But still… I couldn't help but feel we weren't alone.

I took the waterskin from where I had it hanging at my hip and took a big gulp. "How much longer until we reach Gansu?" I asked, glancing over my shoulder, sure that the culprit would jump out at us any moment.

"We won't reach it until tomorrow so stop asking me."

"But we've been walking for two days! Besides, I've only asked you three times at most."

"And three was enough."

"Three isn't a lot."

"Is everyone from your time annoying, or is it just you?" Toph asked, quickly shutting me up.

We both were silent as we continued to walk. Me, because I was angry at Toph and tired of walking. Couldn't she have told me that it would take days to reach Gansu? The only reason Toph was quiet is because she enjoys making me angry and was reveling in her accomplishment.

With nothing to keep me occupied, I thought of home. I wondered if everyone was out there looking for me. I could imagine everyone putting on a giant search for me just like they did the time Becky went missing. She had also gotten lost in the forest by the lake, and it took them two days to find her. I remembered how worried her parents were, and how Lisa had been with them night and day for comfort. Is Lisa that worried about me? Then again, Lisa had a personality that made her freak out over the slightest things.

I came home five minutes late for my curfew, and Lisa was about to call the police. All she had said for a week was what _could_ have happened. I _could_ have gotten kidnapped, I _could _have gotten in a car accident and been trapped. I took that moment to ask her for a cell phone so that would never happen, but she sent me to my room instead. If only I had a cell phone now when I had been lost…

But Becky had only been missing for two days, I had been gone for five. They must think I was dead, and that thought made me want to cry.

I took my mind out of the past and put it back in the present. But unfortunately the present was freaking me out. Every few steps I took, I had to glance over my shoulder to make sure no one was there.

When the hair on the back of my neck stood on end, I knew I had to talk to Toph.

"Toph, I think were being followed…" I muttered quietly so only she would hear.

"you barely noticed it now? He's been following us for a few days." She said quietly. "But he poses no threat; I'm just waiting to see what he's going to do."

"You know who it is?" I asked aloud.

Toph just smirked and kept walking.

To know for sure that we were being followed freaked me out even more. I took the pocket knife out and flipped open the blade. I didn't care who he was, if he attacked me, I'd protect myself.

We kept walking, and I waited. I knew the person would reveal himself soon, so I kept my knife in hand and listened. I bet that if I knew how to waterbend, I wouldn't be worried right now. I gritted my teeth and made a pact that I would try my hardest to learn the skill, no matter how freaky it was.

From behind me, a twig snapped.

I jumped a mile, but Toph stayed calm and slowed to a stop.

We both waited for him to make his move.

Finally, he did. A man stepped out of the trees and looked right at me with his golden eyes.

"Oh my god! What is your problem?!" I yelled at him, holding my hand over my fast beating heart. I had expected him to be a murderer, but he was just that annoying kid from a few nights ago. "I told you not to scare me again!"

"It's not my fault you get frightened easily." Lee berated.

"What do you want?" Toph asked, politeness obviously not a concern to her.

"Jump right to the point, huh?" Lee remarked and shook his head. "Well then so will I…I want to join you."

I started laughing. "You want to join us?"

"Yes. Were both looking for the same person, and as much as it pains me to say this…", He addressed Toph. "I need your help."

I had to wipe the tears from my eyes at this point. "Why would I want to spend all day walking in the forest with you? In case this had slipped your notice, I don't especially like you."

"I can be of help."

"Really, how?" Toph asked.

"I can hunt and fight, and I know a lot about survival."

"Big deal. We have food, and I've seen Survivor Man, we'll be fine."

"Survivor Man?" Lee asked.

I smirked and ignored him. "We don't need you."

"Yes you do." He crossed his arms across his chest and walked up until he was in front of me, using his height as an intimidation method. "You said you have food, but I bet its only fruits."

"And Oatmeal cream pies and Doritos." I narrowed my eyes at him. "Like I said, we don't need you."

"I can get you meat." He spoke just to Toph this time, and I could see her resolve weakening at the thought of meat. "I have some money, and I'm good at tracking."

I looked at him through slitted eyes. "Give me a minute."

I grabbed Toph by the arm and pulled her out of earshot. "You can't be considering letting him come with us."

"But he does bring up a few good points."

"But I don't like him at all!" I yelled, not caring if he heard. "I still think he's a jerk."

"Well, I think he would be helpful. He could hunt and even clean. You can just ignore him if you'd like. Plus, you said he has swords. Wouldn't those come in handy if we were attacked?"

"But what if he's the one attacking us? What if I was right all along, and he is a killer?"

"I'll just ask him if he means any harm, but I've already decided he's coming with us."

"But-"

Toph was already walking back to Lee. "Are you going to do anything bad or hurt us in any way?" she asked bluntly.

"No." he answered, his eyes swung to me as if he knew I was the reason for her question.

"Ok, I'm sold." She smiled and stuck out her hand. "We're going to Gansu, care to join us?"

He grasped her hand and shook it. "Let's go."

"But-"

"He's coming Katara, let's get a move on."

"Fine." I huffed, sensing my defeat. "But I refuse to share my Doritos with him."

Toph laughed and started walking. Lee didn't spare me one glance; he just followed her like she was the leader.

"Wait!" I called and ran after them. "You might as well make yourself useful and carry this." I handed my bag off to Zuko and watched as his face registered first surprise and then anger.

"This is your stuff, you carry it!" he yelled and tried to pass it back, but I jumped out of his reach.

"But Lee!" I exclaimed in my most innocent voice. "You said you were going to be helpful…and this is_ all_ of our stuffs now."

"That's true." Toph chuckled.

I smiled and walked ahead of him.

"I'm going to leave it here!"

"No, you won't!" I called back.

"Yes, I will!"

"Liar."

"I just dropped it, and I'm walking away!"

"No, you didn't!"

"I don't like you!" he yelled.

"Oh, what a shame." I said with as much sarcasm as I could muster.

"You are the most infuriating person I've ever met."

I spun towards him causing Toph to stop and wait while we argued. "And you're an ass."

"What did I ever do to you?"

"You ran at me with a sword and scared me twice!"

"So?"

"And then you were a jerk when we were questioning you!"

Lee's face contorted in anger. "That's because you took me as your prisoner!"

"Well, maybe next time you won't creep around a defenseless girl's camp site!" I yelled, my upper lip lifting up into a sneer.

"I wasn't! You were the one creeping around my campsite, did you ever think of that?!"

My mind froze for a second, I hadn't thought of that. "Jerk."

"Hag."

"Freak."

"Wench."

"…Dolt!"

"Dolt?" Zuko questioned.

"Well, didn't you mother tell you not to be an ass to girls?"

Lee's face immediately changed. In a split second, he went from angry to sad, and then he was furious. "I like your new outfit, it's a good thing you changed… Last night you looked like a camp follower!" He yelled and stalked ahead of me.

I blushed a deep red and quickened my pace. Lisa had a whole shelf of historical romance novels so I knew all too well what a camp follower was… A prostitute.

This meant war.

**o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o**

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**Lol, I doubt that Zuko could bring himself to use the word prostitute…**

**Lots of dialogue!**

**Ok, I won't be able to start the next chap till about Friday, so don't expect the chap to be up next Monday…**

**p.s.- If you want to know what a camp follower is, look it up.**


	5. Understanding

**So thanks to my awesome beta, this chapter is way better than it was a few days ago when I first sent it to her. She was like "this is crap!". and after a few seconds of being emo I rewrote a lot of it and sent it back. She approves of this version, so here you go!**

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o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o  
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Toph and I sat cross-legged at the edge of camp staring at each other. Toph had just told me everything that happened before she met me, and now all I could do is sit in a puddle of shock.

"You should have told me," I scolded Toph.

"Well, there's nothing you can do now… Just live with it."

"Live with it?" I nearly shrieked.

Toph rolled her unseeing eyes and nodded.

"You shouldn't be so lighthearted about this… Your parents must be worried." Frustrated, I yelled loud enough for Lee to look up from his seat by the empty fire pit.

Toph replied dryly, "Oh yeah, I'm sure they are."

"Don't you care?"

"Why would I?" She asked, completely unconcerned for her parent's feelings.

"They're your parents." I reminded her, scrunching up my forehead.

"So?"

"What do you mean 'so'?" I asked her, getting even more annoyed with her. Parents had always been a sensitive subject with me, whenever a friend would complain about a parent, it always made me angry. I always wanted to scream 'At least you _have_ parents!' but I never would. I hate others pity.

"Exactly what it means. So what?" Toph stood up, and I could tell she was angry.

I took a deep breath to calm myself and ten stood up so I could be shoulder to shoulder with her. "You don't like your parents?"

"I can't stand them." She answered honestly. "That's why I left."

"But they're still your parents!" I half-laughed, half-shouted. "You can't just get up and leave them!"

"Well, they weren't very good parents…" She mumbled.

"It doesn't matter, you're only twelve… You can't just run away." I was glad Toph couldn't see the angry expression on my face.

"I thought you understood." She looked at me, a wired expression on her face. "I can take care of myself. I always have."

"No, you haven't. From what you've said, you're just a spoiled rich kid who's throwing a temper tantrum. I bet you never had to work for anything." I yelled, loosing my own temper at her selfishness.

"This is not a temper tantrum!" she yelled back, her face red.

My control snapped. "That's not the way I see it… You said you left because you're parents don't let you do anything or have any freedom. But have you looked at this through your parents eyes? You're a good fighter, but do they know that? You've _let_ them think you're made of porcelain or something. You've never showed them how strong you are, so they're probably having a heart attack right now because they think their 'poor little bind and defenseless daughter' is going to die out here."

Toph's upper lip curled. "I just want to prove that I'm not helpless-"

I interrupted her with a laugh, not caring that she could crush me like a bug if I made her angry enough. "You're risking your life to prove something?"

"Man, I can't believe that I actually thought you understood me. I remember that when we first met you said 'You may be blind, but you're not helpless.' That was the only reason I came with you. I would have helped you with or without the dice. Now I see that I was wrong. You never believed me; you just told me what I wanted to believe."

"No… Toph." Sensing the depth of this problem, I softened my voice. "I never said you were helpless. It's just… There are so many things that could happen when you're out here on your own."

"I'll be fine." She grunted through clenched teeth.

"I know… You could kick anyone's ass." I told her, trying to give her some kind of peace offering, I hadn't brought this up as some kind of attack on her.

She smiled at me. "Damn right!"

I smiled. "I'm sorry I yelled at you."

"Sure." Toph said offhandedly, but I knew she had accepted my apology.

I calmed myself and then asked the one thing I never thought I would. "Do you want to talk about it?"

"No." Toph grumbled, knowing I meant her parents.

"You sure?" I asked with a smile, nudging her shoulder with mine.

"Yeah."

I sighed and then looked over at her. "You know… I don't even know who my parents are." I began, hoping that if I shared something about myself, then she would do the same. "That's why I got so angry at you."

She looked at me with her unseeing eyes. "Really?"

"Yeah. I grew up with a foster family, but my real mom gave me up when I was born." I clenched my eyes shut, I was _not_ going to cry in front of her and Lee.

"What's a foster family?" Toph asked curiously.

The wave of tears passed unshed, and I was able to speak. "They are people who take kids in for a while and take care of them. But it never gets personal, like with a real family." I told her, leaving out the fact that I had been to three different foster homes.

"That sucks." Toph muttered, but I could tell she was being sympathetic, not sarcastic.

"Yeah, I'd kill to meet my mom or dad." I stared up at the sky, unwilling to look at Toph or Lee, who I'm sure, was listening the entire time.

Toph was thoughtful for a minute. "So these… foster parents… Were they good? I mean, did they give you lots of freedom?"

I smiled slightly. "Well, they had a lot of strict rules, but I was able to have a job at least." I looked at her. "But they had lots of rules for a _reason_, They didn't want me to turn out like a lot of other foster kids."

"How do they turn out?" she asked curiously.

"A lot of them end up hating the world, and become really… troubled." I said for a lack of a better word.

Toph nodded and stayed silent.

"You're going to go back home after were done, right?" I hated bringing up the subject again, but I had to know.

"Maybe." She mumbled.

"I think you should." I told her knocked her on the shoulder softly.

"Maybe." She repeated.

"Well, I hope you do…" I brushed down my shirt a little and then put my hands on my hips. "I'm going to the stream we passed by earlier and try to waterbend." I turned away and mumbled, "And most likely fail miserably."

"Ok, I'll join you later." Toph waved me off like we didn't just have an argument and make up all in the same hour.

I skipped out of camp, relying on the same itch that led me to water last time to do the same. And sure enough, like a blood hound catching a scent, I was able to follow the feeling right to the stream. It was a bit of a walk, but I was sure I wouldn't get lost again; I could find the water easily, and then follow Toph back to camp where Lee would have meat ready for me to cook.

The first thing I did when I got the stream was take off my pants and run for the water, I still wasn't comfortable enough to strip down… Being raised in the city taught you that you can't even do that in your own bedroom if you had your window open. So with my top on, I did a running dive into the refreshingly cold water.

I dunked my head and got as much of the dirt out as possible; it still amazed me that the people here didn't bathe every day, something that would be unacceptable in my time.

With a sigh, I leaned back and allowed myself to float across the surface of the water.

Yesterday had been hectic. Even more hectic than today. We got to Gansu mid-afternoon and bought more fruits and vegetables and some supplies. We walked away with another canteen, two sleeping bags for Lee and I (Toph said she preferred the floor, and since it was hot and the nights only got down to seventy degrees, I didn't argue). The first dose of agitation for the day was when, an hour into our journey into the next town, I realized that we had forgotten to do what I had originally planned, which was trade my extra clothes for spices. We had a dilemma then, go back for the spices, which we desperately needed, or continue on. We ended up going back, putting us even further behind schedule.

But that wasn't even the hectic part. What really made yesterday horrible was Lee.

What aggravated me the most about him was how damn quiet he was! The entire time we were shopping, he just followed silently behind us, arms crossed, with a glower on his face. He said nothing unless he had to and didn't even give me attitude when I commanded him to carry all of our stuff. I was horribly mean to him too, I insulted him at every chance I got and did everything in my power to make him miserable.

What happened to the Lee we originally met? That lee would have fought back.

But nothing, no reaction at all from Mr. No-Emotion. Obviously, I would have to get creative to really get a reaction out of this guy. Well, anything from my time would probably be considered creative to these people. Hell, all I probably had to do was put his hand in warm water while he was sleeping.

I smiled to myself and laughed. And that's exactly what I'll do.

I jackknifed my body and sank under the surface of the water, expelling all of the air out of my lungs so I could sit on the bottom. I stayed there until the last moment and pushed myself to the top.

"Alright, time to stop playing around…" I said to myself. I had to learn to waterbend before I got back to camp.

I walked towards the shore until only my calves were submerged in the water and looked down at it until the water from my hair dripped into my eyes. How would I do this?

Start with the small things, I thought to myself. This is just like when I had to get my body moving after I first got here. When I was lying on the forest floor, I had to work from the smallest up, pinky before the hand.

I cupped my hand around some water and brought it up level to my chest. "First objective… Don't let the water drip out." I said aloud.

But no matter how hard I tried, drip by drip, the water started leaking out between my fingers. I sighed and let it drop. "Let's just do what I did last time." I said to myself and nodded, aware that I would look crazy if anyone had been watching.

I trekked my way over to the shore and got out of the water, letting the warm air blow dry me.

With my clothes clinging to my skin, I shook myself like a dog in a vain attempt at getting dry faster, but I just ended up looking like just that, a wet dog.

Giving up on my appearance, I crouched down and put my hands over the water, readying myself to bend it. With an exhale, I brought my hands up and the water shook and followed tentatively. My waterbending looked like a Chihuahua, nervous and twitchy. I let it drop and tried again, straining my hands for more control, but that just made things worse.

I rolled my eyes at myself after a minute and sighed, I had to think more like water. Be relaxed and let it flow.

I made my wrist go limp and then shook it a few times to get the tension out of my hands and then placed them over the water again. The water gave a tad bit of protest, but flowed toward my hands smoothly and beautifully.

I allowed myself a small celebratory clap and then got back to work.

The next objective was to make a ball of water hover midair.

I did the same moves again and created a small wall, without hesitating, I dropped my arms and tried to use my mind to will it to stay.

Needless to say, I failed. I tried again, but then failed. Frustrated, I waved my hands over the water like an idiot in a vain attempt to move the water.

"You don't know how to waterbend?" A voice said from behind me.

Lee had the strange talent of sneaking up on me, but this time I didn't jump or scream, I just turned around and glared at him, embarrassment showing on my face. "What do you want?" I asked him, straightening up and ignored his question.

Lee shrugged his shoulders and walked to the bank of the river. "Just cleaning my knife." He replied and held up a knife I hadn't noticed him holding.

"Well, hurry up." I told him and turned around, feigning indifference but in reality I was strangely nervous.

If I screwed up, I knew it would only satisfy him. He looked like the kind of person that liked to watch others fail.

Blocking him out of my mind as much as I could, I turned my attention over to the task at hand. If I could only get this trick to look right, I could move on to something different and harder. Then maybe I could use my waterbending to kick Lee's ass.

I smiled to myself and tried again with the floating orb of water. I brought up a small wall of water and held it there for a second, not entirely sure about what to do. If I was too tense, it would look like crap, but if I was too relaxed, I would definitely loose control of it. I had to find my happy medium. It was like the time when my karate teacher told me that in order to do a handstand, I had to find my center. Well, easier said than done. It took me weeks in order to do a handstand, and this move could take me months.

Taking a deep breath, I concentrated on my move so that instead of bringing up a wall of water, I was only bringing up a small ribbon of water. I closed my eyes and bit my lip as I tried to use my mind to cut a ball off from the ribbon, surprisingly, it worked. It hovered unsteadily, but it didn't really look like a circle, it looked like a chewed up wad of gum. For a better shape, I tried moving my-

"I don't think your doing it right."

I lost my concentration and the ball of water fell and splashed onto my feet.

I turned to Lee and glared. His face was impassive, showing no emotion. His bright eyes stared at me through hair and scar, looking at me straight in the eye.

"Why are you talking to me?" I asked rudely and cocked my hip, not caring at all about being tact.

His eyes narrowed, but he stayed calm. I could tell he was putting a lot of effort into being polite, and that just annoyed me more.

"I was just saying, I don't think you're doing it right. I thought you said you waterbend?" he asked with his arms crossed in front of his chest in a self conscious movement.

"I do, you just saw me." I told him.

"Yeah, but not well…" He mumbled to himself, but I heard him loud and clear.

I blushed and stuttered "Why are you even here? Your knife is clean, just leave now."

"Ok, I was just going to offer you some tips, I spent some time with waterbenders before." He told me and began walking towards the forest.

I froze, and my head snapped towards his retreating back. Did he say he had tips? If he had tips, then I sure as hell could use them.

But wait, I've been nothing but a jerk to him every single one of the days he's spent with us, why would he offer anything to me? He probably expected me to give something to him in return. But what? I had nothing but a flashlight that didn't work and some Doritos… And I sure as hell wasn't going to give him my pocket knife, it had been very useful when it came to cooking.

Maybe I_ could_ ask for his help. He had to know I had nothing, so I couldn't possibly have to give him anything.

But would a guy like him really do something nice with no strings attached?

"Lee!" I yelled, giving up my mental argument. "Wait!"

He stopped and turned around.

"Um, can you help me?"

I could see his lips twitch in an almost-smile. "You sure?"

"Please?" I asked, caking on the sugary sweetness.

"Ok then, I'll help." He nodded his head and came over to where I was. "What do you want to learn?" He asked me.

"Something that I could use in a fight." _So I could use it on you…_

"Ok, I'll teach you the water whip then. It's a simple and basic move that comes in handy a lot."

"Alright…" I told him wearily.

"I think the best way to teach you would be to actually show you how to do it."

"Whatever you say."

"I saw you earlier…you already learned how to make a ball of water, that's the first step. Now you need to pretend that I have a ball of water, okay?"

I smiled; he was really taking this teaching thing seriously. Better for me I guess. "Okay."

"Good, what you do next, is you bend your knees in a slight crouch, like this.

Are you watching?" He asked, and I nodded. "You need to take your left hand and bring it under so that you are cradling it - one arm on top, one on the bottom, got it? Then you turn it into a ribbon and bring it up, then step down with your leg out, so you can kind of slide back up, and then step out, snapping it towards your opponent."

He looked at me expectantly, and I just stared blankly back.

"Got it?" He asked.

_If you say 'got it' one more time I'll- _"Can you do it again please?" I asked, cutting my mind rant off.

"Sure." He said patiently, and then demonstrated again. I stared at him in awe as he moved through the stances. He definitely looked dirty and ragged, and he probably smelled, but as he performed the technique, he only looked beautiful. His body seemed to know exactly what to do and how to do it, as if he had practiced this move for a long time. And every step was graceful and powerful, with a nimbleness that I'm sure I didn't have, but he achieved it easily. All of his instruction combined into one graceful move. Karate had never looked so wonderful.

"This is great." I said aloud. This move might actually come in handy if I could at least get it right.

I crouched slightly in the first position and looked at him for approval, but he wasn't looking at me, he was looking at my legs. With a gasp, I looked down and noticed you could see both of my legs clear up to my thighs. I had forgotten to put back on my pants after the swim.

I mumbled an apology and ran to the pants, yanking them and my shoes and socks on. With a red and heated face, I made my way back to Lee, who really couldn't meet my eye, and I couldn't really blame him.

I cleared my throat, trying to get the lump down, and got back into the first position, glancing up again for his approval, but feeling way more self-conscious this time. His face had a brilliant red color to it that traveled all the way down his neck.

I was about to ask him, albeit sarcastically, if he'd ever seen a girl's legs before, when it occurred to me… He probably hadn't. I blushed even more; my first lesson when I came here was that revealing clothes did not fly, so why would bare legs be any better?

"Sorry." I said again.

"Just keep going. You're doing good." He cleared his throat and looked at me, serious again, but still with a twinge of pink on his face.

I went on to the next move, imagining there was a ball of water and I was cradling it, but this time, apparently it wasn't good.

"You need to relax. You're a waterbender, not an earthbender."

I relaxed my hands completely and started from the top, this time to his satisfaction.

"You know…this doesn't make me obliged to like you…" I told him between poses.

"Good." He grunted, but it had an edge that hinted at laughter.

I smiled and continued until Lee stopped me. "Good, you got it. Now try it with water."

"Crap." I muttered.

He shook his head. "Get a ball of water."

I nodded and easily grabbed an orb. "Are you sure?" I asked him, not ready to look like an idiot just yet.

"Do it."

"Okay, okay…" I crouched and tried the water whip, slowly this time, but right when I got to the part when I had to bring the water down, I wasn't able to concentrate well enough to keep the water steady. In a desperate move to save myself, I tried to stretch it out and send it forward anyway, but it all just came crashing down, ending up looking like a wilted string of water than a powerful whip.

Frustrated, I sprang up and crossed my arms over my chest, not looking at Lee.

"Try it again." He commanded.

I looked at him, about to refuse, but the look on his face told me that he wasn't going to take no for an answer.

With him by my side, criticizing me when I needed it (which happened to be a lot) I repeated the move over and over until I could do if backwards, sideways, and upside down.

I looked up at the half moon in front of me, thinking of the spirits that put me into this world. When I got back to my time, I would start karate again.

Still… There was one unsolved mystery… I looked at Lee and asked the question I had been dying to ask. "Why are you helping me?"

He stared at me for a moment. "I want to."

I did not believe for a moment that he didn't expect anything for his help, "Well then, what do you want in return?"

His eyes narrowed instantly. "I just wanted to be nice, can't you just accept it?"

"From you? No." I crossed my hands across my chest and scowled.

He took a step towards me and practically growled. "You're a jerk, you know that? I wanted to help because we had something in common. You didn't have a mom, and I spent most of my life without my mother. That's all, happy?"

I was shocked into silence. "You really don't want anything?"

"I don't."

"Oh…" I said, and to be honest, I was utterly speechless. I know no one that would do something nice for me without expecting anything in return, and it made me feel ashamed and awkward. Everyone I knew in my time had always expected something. If you gave someone a birthday present, it was only so that when your birthday pulled around they would do the same for you. If you donated anything to a charity or church, it was to get a write off on your taxes, or so you could get into heaven later on. Everything had to be gifted back some way or the other.

"Whatever. I'm going back to camp." He turned to leave.

"Wait." I told him and he stopped and faced me. "Thank you." I said, and I really meant it.

What he did next really couldn't be considered a smile; it was more of a lip twitch, but to me, it meant the same.

I stayed behind for a while so I wouldn't accidentally meet him on my way back to camp, I would hate to see him after what I accused him of.

The entire walk back to camp, I thought about Lee. He had been nice to me, but I had thought he wanted something in return. Hell, the fact that he didn't want anything in return made me want to give back even more. The only way I could do that is through my cooking. I would whip him up something delicious as a gift for his generosity.

As soon as I got back to camp, I found Lee sitting near Toph's earth tent skinning something that resembled a chicken. I nodded thanks to him when he handed it over and headed for the fire pit. I knew exactly what to do.

I put a flat rock over the fire to heat it up and got to work. Sacrificing one of my two bags of Doritos (I remembered once saying I wouldn't share them with him, but I let it go. I had to make some kind of sacrifice in order to make this feel like a gift), I got a rock and used it to smash the tasty chips into crumbs. I added some spices that I thought smelled good and rolled the chicken-like meat into the mixture, coating it evenly with the crumbs.

With a smile, I put it on the hot rock and cooked it until it was done, letting it sit so it could soak back up all of the juices.

I handed the dish out to Toph and Lee and sat down to eat my own. I took a bite and smiled; not bad, but still a worthy gift. I turned to Toph and saw that she was devouring her food, probably not even tasting it, but Lee was eating slowly, savoring it.

I still might not like Lee, but watching him eat my food with such obvious delight made me happy.

**o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o**

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**Wow, its been an interesting week…I poked my eye with a safety pin (not that hard, don't worry) and it hurt like hell, I did my AP Lit test and wrote an essay about symbolism only to go on sparknotes and find out that the symbol I used wasn't a symbol at all. I sat down to write this chapter only to find that I had no idea where my flashdrive was (it's an 8 gig; I _can't_ loose that thing…it was expensive). I checked every pocket of the jeans I had wore this week, (thank god it was only 3 pairs) and it wasn't there, I check every orifice of my purse and backpack, and it wasn't there…I still cant find the damn thing…**

**So all in all I lost quite a few pages of writing…At least it's always better the second time writing it.**


	6. History

**I miss you guys so much!!!!**

**It's been a while, hasn't it? Well, I might as well tell you what I've been up to…as some of you might know, I posted a little update on my profile that said: "I am putting my story on hiatus right now due to the fact that I will be a full time college student with a part time job soon. I simply won't have enough time to update often. I will finish the story, but there is no telling when that'll be. Sorry, but right now school is the most important to me." That is totally true (except for the fact that I have been unsuccessful in finding a job…)**

**Anyways. I _will_ finish this story. I have awesome plans for it, just be patient with me and my new schedule.

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"Oh, Toph! I'm so bored…I would kill for a computer right now…" I moaned and flopped onto my back. "I need technology!"

Toph ignored me, as was the custom when I started talking about future things, and continued sharpening a stick with a knife. I didn't know she even had one. I wasn't worried at all about her slipping and cutting her finger though, I knew she would be fine. I would be more likely to cut myself than anyone else in this campsite.

I rolled over onto my stomach, not caring if I got covered in dirt, and rested my head on my arms. I imagined I was back home relaxing in the front yard. Dad had always thought it was weird that I could lie down and do nothing for an hour, but it was just something that came easily to me. I called it my meditation time. I groaned in comfort and smiled to myself. Today was perfect. The sun was shining, the birds were singing, and the air smelled like wildflowers.

"I still don't think we should set up camp yet." Came a bored drawl from somewhere to my left.

"No one asked you, Lee…" I mumbled, but I was sure he could hear me. His ears were as good as Toph's.

I heard him do some of those slow and relaxing deep breath exercises. "Don't you think it's too early to stop walking?" He asked, forcing himself to sound polite.

"No." I answered simply.

He groaned in frustration. "We're never going to get to the Avatar…"

I opened my eyes and turned my head towards Lee. "Feel free to leave and find him yourself…"

He rolled his eyes and shook his head. "Fine, but we have to make up the distance tomorrow."

"We'll try."

"Try?" he asked.

"Yes…_try_. Its going to rain pretty soon, that's why we've stopped, so if its too wet and muddy to make it far tomorrow…" I sat up and stared at him.

"Its perfectly sunny right now, how do you know it's going to rain?" He challenged.

"Waterbender. Duh." I shrugged my shoulders.

He rolled his eyes. "You've only been bending for a few days; you can barely call yourself a bender."

"Shut up. I barely found out I could even bend!" I yelled without even thinking.

Lee opened his mouth again but was shut out by Toph.

"Will you two please shut up? You're giving me a headache." Toph yelled, brandishing her now pointy stick at us threateningly.

I grunted lazily and lay back down. Today had been horribly long and all I wanted to do was relax and watch T.V., but right now, that was impossible. I couldn't wait until I found the Avatar and returned home. First thing I would do is crawl into my bed, take a long nap, and then order a large pepperoni pizza that I would eat all my myself.

"I still don't think it's going to rain…" Lee crossed his arms over his chest.

Suddenly, as if in answer to my prayer, a crack of thunder sounded from over the tree line. "Ha!" I shouted loudly and sprung back up. "Told you." I said smugly, albeit a little childishly.

"Well, forgive me if I don't trust you." He said through clenched teeth. "If I recall correctly, you had Toph tie me up the first time we met, so don't be surprised that I'm a little skeptical…"

"You scared me!" I yelled indignantly, stepping up so that I was face to face with him.

"Oh yes, and tying a person up is a completely natural reaction." Sarcasm was dripping from his voice as he stared me down.

"Didn't I tell you two to shut up?!" Toph yelled, throwing her stick at us. It bounced harmlessly off of my leg and landed on the ground.

I turned to Toph. "Be nice, Rambo."

"Rambo? Looks like you finally came up with that nickname you promised me."

I glanced back at Lee. "This isn't over."

His glare could have set me on fire. "I think I'm going out hunting." He turned swiftly and stalked out of the campsite without another glance.

"I hope he gets rained on…" I said to no one in particular, and turned back towards Toph.

She smiled at me. "It's worth having him here if only for the meat."

I snorted in laughter. "Lets make an earth tent, its starting to get dark and I'd love to actually get some sleep!"

"I may be blind, but I know its not near dark yet. We can't go to sleep before its dark. What are we…Ten years old?"

I chose not to mention the fact that she's only twelve. "Fine, then what do you suggest we do until dark, which probably won't be long considering that there are probably some rain clouds forming." I shivered slightly from the rapidly cooling air and thanked god I hadn't traded my jacket.

"Laze around and eat?" Toph was completely serious. "I hope Lee brings back something good."

"I hope be brings back something at all. He's still mad; he might want me to starve."

Toph scoffed. "Are you kidding me? He brings back better stuff when he's mad. I love it when you fight before dinner!"

I smiled at her and shook my head. "You're welcome, then."

She scoffed. "Whatever."

I smiled at the striking resemblance between Toph and Tina. Both were stubborn and had enough wit to make a grumpy old man laugh. "You need to make some shelter for us so we don't get rained on. Can you manage?"

"You need to remember who you're talking to…" In less than a second, the ground was rumbling as Toph placed both her hands on the ground. With one pull upwards, walls rose from the ground and connected up at the top in some kind of teepee imitation. "Piece of cake."

"Wow… Thanks." I smiled. "Perfect, now all we need is a door, so Lee can't get in."

Toph shook her head. "That would be nice except for the fact that I don't think he's all that bad."

"Really?" I squinted my eyes at her. "I think he's a freak."

She raised her eyebrows. "Lee has done nothing wrong to me, and I think he actually has reason to be a jerk to you… You did hold him hostage for a whole night."

"Ok, change of subject!" I pleaded.

Toph walked up next to me and put an arm around my shoulder, pulling me down to her height. "Perfect, because I feel the need to tell you something that's pretty important…"

"What?" I questioned.

"Yesterday, I could tell you slipped a few times and mentioned a few things from your time. Then I got to thinking. It's time for a history lesson." Toph gripped my shoulder tightly and dragged me into the earth tent. "I can't have you slipping up and giving yourself away so soon. That would take the fun out of everything!"

I almost felt pleased that she didn't want me to give myself away… That was until she said how funny she was expecting it to actually be. "A history lesson?"

"Yeah, you know nothing about my world." She stated as if it was obvious.

"That's actually a good idea." My voice was met with a really close sounding clap of thunder.

"Sit down." Toph 'asked politely'.

I nodded and did what I was told. "Ok, lay it on me, I want to know everything."

"I'm not going to tell you everything… Just the important parts." She cracked her knuckled and rested her head on her hand. "There are a few things I think you need to know."

"What is that?" I asked.

She pursed her lips. "We are in a war right now."

"A war?" I asked, getting a little nervous.

She nodded. "It's been going on for about one hundred years."

"One hundred years?" I shouted.

"It all started when the power hungry Fire Nation wanted to get rid of the Avatar so they could take over the world."

"The Avatar?"

"Only he can control all four elements." She plowed through, ignoring me.

"Wait, the Avatar? He's still alive after one hundred years?" I started to get really confused.

"Yes. Now are you going to let me finish?"

"Go on, please."

"Only he can control all four elements." Se repeated. "That gives him the power to be the mediator and protector for all four nations. With him gone, there would be nothing to stop the Fire Nation from taking over the nations."

"Oh."

"Well, he's an airbender, so they attacked the Air Temples first, but they couldn't find him. No one knows where he was between then and when he popped out of nowhere recently." She finished.

"He was gone that whole time?"

"I guess, and they've been hunting him down ever since."

"And the firebenders raged war on everyone while he was gone?"

She nodded.

"That's horrible!" I yelled.

"Yes, it is…but the firebenders were never known to be very nice…"

"Have they attacked your town?"

"No, but a few towns near us have been attacked."

"W-what happened to them?"

"They burned down the town, and many were killed." Toph rolled away from me, signaling that part of the conversation was over.

"You know what the worst part is?" she began again. "The fire lord isn't even looking for the Avatar himself, he sent his son to find him. How pathetic is that?"

"That sucks…why isn't the fire lord doing it?"

"The politics are screwed up over there, there's no way of telling…I think he was banished too…like I said: Firebenders are screwballs." She mad a small noise of approval at her own comment.

I sat for a few minutes, mulling over my thoughts, when Lee decided it was finally time to come back.

"Hey Lee! We were just talking about you!" Toph laughed.

"What?" he turned towards us.

"Just kidding, we were talking about the Fire Nation prince…I think his name was Zuko…or something like that." Toph appeared to be thoughtful for a moment before her gaze shifted to Lee. "Your heart beat sped up, is someone afraid of the big bad prince?" she laughed again.

"Why was he banished?" I asked.

"I don't know. Maybe he was too evil even for the Firebenders." She shrugged her shoulders.

"I wonder what he's doing right now…maybe we'll find him. He's after the avatar, right? Maybe we'll meet him along the way! That'd be crazy!" I yelled with a smile half smile.

"Who knows…you'd know him is you saw him though. Rumor is that he's huge, like a monster. His eyes are told to me red, and he has a giant scar covering his whole face- geez Lee, if this subject frightens you so much, I'll drop it. I don't want you wetting your pants." Toph snickered at him and sighed in contentment.

I glanced over at Lee and almost gaped in surprise. His face was a pale, ashen white, he looked about to be sick. From his reaction, I guessed that he's come across the prince before; after all, they are looking for the same person.

"Did you catch anything?" I asked gently, trying to distract his thoughts.

"Here." He shoved a bundle into my hands and stalked to the corner of the earth tent.

"Thank you." I mumbled and looked down at the banana leaf-wrapped meat that was so rudely shoved into my hands. But hey, at least he wrapped it first. "Ok…I'm going to go get fire wood." I glanced at lee once more before I left.

Just as I was gathering my first pieces of wood, the raindrops fell. They were light at first, but by the time I had enough wood to last the night, I was soaked to the bone. Thanking the gods (oh no, now I'm starting to sound like them) that I could easily bend the water off of me, I ran into the earth tent faster than I knew possible. With a moan, I realized that I still had to get all of our things out of the rain, so I doubled back and grabbed my tote, Toph's surprisingly heavy bag, and Lee's bag-o-crap.

My clothes clung to my body and made an annoying squish sound every time I moved, but the worse thing was the water squishing around in my shoes. With no grace whatsoever, I dumped my armful of sticks in the middle of the small room and pulled the water out of my hair and clothes.

Thankfully, in this world there was never a shortage of good cooking rocks, so I was able to quickly find one and clean it off.

"Luckily for you guys, when I was thrown into this wo-" I cut myself off and glanced at Lee. "When I got here, I had the crap already. So guess what? We're having s'mores!" I yelled, deciding to sacrifice my greatest treasures so that lee would be back to his annoying self.

"What are you going on about?" Lee asked, and for the first time since I got back, I looked at him. In his eyes, there was a hint of sadness and hurt that I could not explain.

"What are s'mores?" Toph asked drawing my attention away from lee.

"Oh… You'll find out." I smiled mischievously. No one in this world has had the yummy goodness that is s'mores yet, but I would change that. I could still remember the first s'more I bit into… Marshmallow was stuck to my face and chocolate was places I had never had chocolate before, but I didn't care. They were heaven.

"This sounds stupid already…" Lee drawled.

"I'm tired…" Toph yawned.

"Can we just get this over with?" Lee asked in a monotone.

I grunted in annoyance. "Will you two just shut up?"

Lee rolled his eyes and looked towards the fire while Toph just smiled back at me.

"Lee, since you're obviously so excited, I'm giving you the _opportunity_ to start the fire." I bent the water out of the wood with a smile. That boring jerk was back to himself already. Good.

I watched Lee with satisfaction as he struggled to light the fire with a flint, but that smile faded when the fire actually caught. It was bigger than one I could have made, and a pang of jealousy ran through me.

"Thank you, Lee." I grumbled and tossed the meat on the stone that Lee had placed on the fire.

With that ready and cooking, there was nothing to keep the silence out of our tent while we waited.

Surprisingly, it was finally broken by Toph. "So… How has your bending been coming along?" she asked me.

"Fine…" I glanced at Lee. "He's taught me some pretty cool moves."

Lee grunted in response and it was quiet again.

I got up and flipped the meat. "This looks yummy, what is it?" I asked Lee.

"It _was _a moose lion."

"A moose lion?! Cool!" Toph gave me a look that clearly said: I told you so. "How big was it?"

He gestured that it was about 4 feet tall.

"What did you do with the rest?" she asked in disbelief.

"Left it for the rest of the forest." He answered.

"This is great! I haven't had moose lion for months!" Toph yelled.

"Yes, thank you." I said as graciously as I could.

A few minutes later, I took the food off of the heat and passed it out. After I bit into it, I could tell why Toph had been so excited. The meat was delicious and juicy, better than any steak I ever had.

After dinner, I broke out the good stuff. I put the marshmallows on a stick and roasted them to a nice golden brown, then prepared each s'more delicately before I handed it to them.

Lee glanced at Toph once before they both bit in and began to chew.

"Oh my gods above… This is the best thing I have ever tasted..." Toph moaned through a mouthful of food.

Even Lee, who usually eats so dainty and properly was shoveling it down quickly like it would disappear any second. "This…" he finally spoke up after his s'more was gone. "Is good."

I smiled at the compliment. He had never complimented something I've made before. Usually it's just a grunt I assumed to mean 'thank you', or a frown of confusion that I took to mean 'I'm surprised this is edible,' but never a straight out compliment. I found myself blushing at his metaphorical pat on the back.

I stood up and folded my arms. "Good, now that both of you are full of sugar… Its time for bed."

Toph chuckled, "Good night then."

"You're serious?" Lee asked.

"You want to get a head start tomorrow, right?" I asked him.

"Yeah." His brows creased.

I pulled my jacked out of my bag and pulled it on, it would be perfect in keeping me warm tonight. "Then good night."

Lee sighed and pulled out his blanket. "We're waking up early then…"

I flopped onto the blanket and turned away from him. "If it's not still raining…"

**o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o**

Sleep refused to come to me; I had too many things running through my mind. The Avatar would only take a few more days to find, but what then? He has been hunted down like an animal before, would he trust us? Would he believe me when I told him of the two spirits that told me to find him? What would I do when I actually got to him…they never told me what would happen after I found him. Would I know, or would I be stuck here forever?

No. They promised me I would go home. They _had_ to take me home.

My mind was currently a mess of thoughts, a war between thoughts of the Avatar, thoughts of home, and the Fire Nation.

The Fire Nation tried to take over the entire world through violence and death. The Avatar probably wouldn't trust anyone, let alone me. In his old age, he would have seen plenty of people try and befriend him, but end up betraying him anyway.

They were savages; they had to be.

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**Is this a filler chapter? Kinda-maybe-but it still has importance, but just remember, I'm getting back into the writing swing, next update will be back to the plot…it might even have a bit of action.**

**Please commentt so I know you're still with me. Even it you're a lurker, comment please? I want to know that people didnt un-allert this story or something...**


	7. Reunion

**Ok guys, I'm going to warn you right now…this hasn't been beta'd. Sorry about that, but I wanted this to be out to you as soon as possible.  
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"I cant believe they just left me…" I mumbled to myself. "'Me and Lee are going hunting! We should stock up on food so we don't have to stop walking so much.'" I mimicked Toph's voice. "Yeah…and leave me to clean up camp."

I kicked at the pile of burnt wood and watched it as it broke apart. "I should put snakes into their bag."

I picked up Lee's bag and threw it into the pile of supplies. "I hope they get lost…" A lot of good that'd do me, right? Besides, Toph could easily find me by following my string of complaints. Plus, what would I do if I got attacked by a bear? Water whip it? Hit it with an orb of water? Great, I'd get my ass handed to me.

I sat down at the base of the shadiest tree I could find and waited for them to return. They were probably taking their sweet time and laughing at me. Why couldn't I have gone hunting too? It's not like I don't want to. They probably think I wouldn't be able to handle it. I grunted in frustrating and called water to me from my waterskin. I practiced manipulating it into random shapes, a heart, back to a circle, a long stream, then blew on it, willing it to turn to ice. Satisfied, I pressed it to my forehead and sighed. What was taking them so long? They've been gone for at least an hour, it never took Lee this long, and so with Toph with him it should take no time for both of them.

I felt the urge to just get up and leave, but I knew I would never make it alone.

With the back of my hand, I wiped the melted water and sweat off of my brow.

"-and that was when I punched him right in the kisser, he didn't even know what hit him!" Toph's yelled from somewhere in the forest.

I groaned and thanked the gods they were back, I knew we only had a few days journey left, and if I had my way we'd not stop till we got there, but since Toph was in charge she wanted to take her time and "enjoy the scenery" even though she had a distinct lack of sight.

I picked up their bags and all but threw it at them when they entered the campsite. "Ok, enough playing around. Let's go."

Lee placed a bag of meat, which I hoped would be enough food to last us till we got to the avatar, onto the ground and hook his head. "We'll leave as soon as we can."

"What else is there to do? I cleaned camp and packed our bags. Can we go?" I begged.

Lee rolled his shoulders and looked at me. "I'd like to rest for a bit before we-"

"Lets go!" Toph yelled, causing Lee to jump. He looked at her pleadingly, but she just continued smiling.

"Ok…" I threw Lee a questioning look, but he wasn't even looking at me.

"Lee, pick me up, I want to grab an apple!" Toph yelled, pulling at Lee's shirt like a little kid. She was practically climbing up his side when he finally hoisted her onto his shoulder. I had to stifle a laugh at the hilarity of it all; the scene resembled one of a father indulging a daughter.

My laughter stopped, and I frowned. What happened when they were out hunting?

I folded my arms and observed them a little longer. Lee's face was impassive as Toph used his head as leverage to get higher as she reached her hand into the apple tree. He looked strangely at ease with the idea of someone climbing on his face,

How could they have become best friends in just an hour or two? A strange emotion- jealousy? - ran through me, but I quickly stomped it out of my head.

"Come on, let's go." I said gruffly, impatient that they were just goofing off when we were so close to the avatar.

Toph made a face and crossed her legs, still perched on lee's shoulder. "Fine, c'mon lee lets go."

Lee sighed and with a slight blush, mumbled something that I couldn't hear to Toph. With a smile, she nodded and patted his head as I watched them with curiosity. What surprised me the most was that lee moved forward and walked out of our campsite with Toph still perched on his shoulders.

I followed them mutely, counting down the seconds until lee would throw her off his shoulders, but it never happened.

"So, um…" I began, not sure exactly how I would word my question. I considered beating around the bush or making a witty comment, but decided to just come out and ask them. "Are you Toph's mule now?"

My bold question made lee falter in his step and caused Toph to burst out in laughter. I didn't see the poor boys face, but I bet it was as red as a tomato.

"Pretty much!" Toph barked out in laughter.

"May I ask why?" I persisted.

"Pretty boy over here lost a bet." She reached down and pinched Lee's unscarred cheek.

"Pretty boy?" he shouted indignantly.

I had to suppress my laugh. "What'd you bet?"

"He seemed to think he'd get the first catch." She made a strange sound akin to a scoff. "I think it's obvious who won."

Lee mumbled something under his breath that made Toph Laugh.

"How long is this going to last?"

She pursed her lips in an attempt not to laugh. "Indefinitely…he _really_ thought he would win."

"And if he won, was he going to make you give him rides?"

"No!" lee shouted, sounding offended.

"No, he wanted something else." Toph smile made me very curious, but trying to get information out of her could be compared to playing the lottery...you might as well not even try.

**o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o**

"Lee, put me down, I have to pee." Toph groaned.

Lee's face took on a look of disgust and he immediately stopped walking. "What's the magic word?"

"Just put me down before I go on your shoulders." She warned him with a straight face.

I had never seen lee move so fast. In the blink of an eye, he pulled her off his shoulders and sent her into the forest. "Hurry up!" he yelled.

"Thanks lee, I _will_ be sure and take my time!" she yelled back.

I pursed me lips to keep from smiling.

"Damnit, she probably will take her time." He muttered.

"So…" I began, not wanting to go through an awkward silence no matter how much I disliked him. "How did you two become friends so quickly?" I joked.

"I don't know." He grumbled, obviously not in the mood to talk, but when was he ever?

"You must know. Come on, I'm curious." I prodded.

He turned to me and appeared to think about it. "Well, she's not nearly as rude as you are."

I took a beep breath and decided to be the bigger person and let that one go.

"Seriously." I reminded him.

He gave me a look that clearly said 'I was being serious'. "She's just easy to get along with. How long did it take for you to become her friend?"

"About ten minutes." I muttered.

He gave me a strange look. "She's honest too, which is something that I respect.. She never lies or hides things. She's an open book, but you…you always say strange things. I have a feeling you're hiding something…"

I was about to ask him when this became about me, but I realized something that made me keep silent.

This was the moment of truth, tell him or keep my secret?

No…I couldn't tell him, he'd think I was crazy, do they have insane asylums in this world? But he probably already thinks I'm crazy. Could I trust him enough to keep my secret? Trust…that's the problem here. Do I trust him…has he done anything that would cause me to think him unhonorable? Has he hurt me? Lied to me? Has he done _anything_ to me? Despite everything I've done to him, he hasn't done anything that wasn't uncalled for.

Still, he wouldn't believe me, and the idea of him thinking I was a liar made me strangely uncomfortable.

But he's done so much for us…for me. Despite what I've done to him and what I've called him, he still taught me how to fight.

He needs to know, he_ deserves_ to know, but why is it so hard to just open my mouth and tell him? Why can't I just say it? Lee, I'm from a different world. Just say it Katara, you can do it. "Lee…"

He glanced over to me, his molten eyes filled with curiosity. "Yes?" he asked expectantly.

"Um…I uh…do you think I'm crazy?" I blurted out.

He furrowed his brow. "Well…weird, not crazy."

"If I tell you something, and I swear it's true, no matter how crazy it sounds, will you believe me?" I asked hopefully.

"You swear it's true?"

"Yes."

"Then I'll believe you. I don't think you would lie to me. And if I have any doubts, then I'll ask Toph."

I took a deep breath and decided to just say it and get the biggest part out of the way. "I'm not from your world."

Lee opened his mouth, furrowed his brow, pursed his lips, and sat down silently, allowing me to continue.

I knelt down next to him and started talking. "I was hiking through the forest and _poof_ these two people- no, spirits- were in front of me…" I looked at him, expecting to see him holding back laughter, but saw him staring me straight in the eye. His intensity unnerved me. "They told me to find the avatar and threw me into this world." I breathed in and out to calm myself. "Well?"

"These spirits…what were they like?"

"You really believe me?" I asked.

"I told you I'd believe you." Lee swallowed hard. "My uncle…" he seemed to have to force those two words out. "he's been to the spirit world. It's not hard to believe this."

I couldn't help but smile at lee. "They were amazing. I think they said they were the moon and the ocean...but wow, they were perfect." I gushed.

He nodded his eyes and smiled back. This was the first time I had seen him smile in the entire time I had known him, and dear gods above, it was breathtaking. I felt like we were having something like a moment. It sounded lame to say this, but I thought we might be having a moment.

"Lee!" Came a shout from the forest.

Both of us jerked our heads towards the sound of Toph's voice. "Toph?" He called back.

"Um…if I were to…Oh, I don't know…stumble upon something that _might_ be poison ivy…How would I know?"

"Oh no…" I groaned.

Lee sighed long and hard. "I got this." He got up and jogged towards Toph's voice. A minute later I heard him shout "Geeze Toph, how far did you go?"

"I didn't want you guys to see me!" she yelled back.

"Well you didn't have to go this far!"

"How would I have known? I can't go by the 'if I can't see them, they can't see me' rule!" she screamed, voice dripping with sarcasm.

I couldn't hold back my laughter as lee's voice faded away.

With a smile still on my face, I kicked at the dirt and waited, hoping that Toph really hadn't gone_ that_ far.

Unexpectedly, I heard footsteps coming towards me through the thick trees.

"Wow that was quick…" I muttered, and turned towards the oncoming footprints.

Like a scene from a movie, three figures walked into sight. The one leading was beautiful; she had golden eyes that pierced through me as soon as I caught her sight. They were gold, like Lee's, but where his were full of emotion, hers were empty, almost soulless. Her hair was up in a bun with some kind of headpiece holding it together. She looked to be wearing some kind of strong looking armor. Her whole aura screamed Leader. One of the women was wearing dark colored robes, and seemed to be barely awake. The last, certainly happiest of them all, was wearing a pink midriff, and a plated skirt over her pants.

"Well, well, well…" the leader said. "What do we have here?"

"Hello." I muttered nervously, not sure about these girls. They made me nervous, I wasn't sure who they were or what they were doing in the middle of the forest, but I didn't care to find out.

"Hi!" The girl in pink waved and walked over to me. "What's your name?"

"Kat." I told her, still looking nervously at the leader.

She seemed to circle around me like a shark, but her smile never left her face. "That's a weird name, where are you from?"

I swallowed hard and lied. "The Water Tribe."

The leader stepped forward. "What is a little Water Tribe girl like you doing in the Earth Kingdom?"

"Hey Azula, she looks like that other boy- the cute one- what was his name? Something starting with an s."

The black haired woman, who didn't look incredible bored, rolled her eyes and looked back at me. "She's right…they have the same eyes…" she stared at me, her eyes intense. "Ty Lee, stop distracting me. We don't have time for this, take her out Mai, no one can know we've been through here."

"Take me out?" I shrieked. I was not ready to fight yet, sure…I could ward off attacks, and water whip the crap out of someone, but not only was there no water around, but I was all alone. All I wanted was Toph; she would bury these girls (literally).

The one in the dark colors examined her nails, long and pointy (just like her teeth probably were). "Azula, I just did my nails…Ty Lee, go."

"Damnit." Fight or flight, fight or flight? The one in pink took a running leap at me and my decision was made. I ran like a bat out of hell.

In only a few seconds, she was in front of me. It was like she dropped out of the trees. She got into a strange stance and jabbed her hands at me. I dug my heels into the ground and almost fell, but I was able to jerk back quick enough to avoid her jab. As quickly as I could, I popped the cap off of the water skin.

"Nice! You're pretty fast…" she cocked her head and smiled at me,

I brought out a stream of water and aimed a water whip at her head. Like a gymnast, she did a back flip backward and landed in a crouch.

"You can waterbend?" she asked with a polite smile.

"No, what gave you that idea?" I sneered, not in the mood to be all smiley-smiley.

I took the water and made it into a small shield about the size of my head and attached it to my left fist. I can't waterbend very well, but I could sure as hell fight dirty.

I gave myself a solid fighting stance and brought my hands up to easier defend myself. Pretending I was a boxer, I bounced lightly from foot to foot. In the split second before she attacked me, I was able to debate the best was of going about this. Should I pull her hair? Would she let me get close enough? Go for her weak points, eyes, throat, under the arms… How much force would snap a collar bone? I once read that only seven pounds would do it.

She shifted her weight and brought her leg up to deliver a stunningly high kick straight for my head. I ducked quickly and jumped to the side, sure she would use the opportunity to attack me again. She didn't disappoint. Her arm met empty air, and I thought I would have time to take a swing at her, but I was mistaken. Taking her arm, she swung it around and jabbed at my arm before I could even think of moving. The hit itself didn't hurt as much as I thought it would, but a strange, tingly feeling overtook my arm. To my surprise, my arm dropped limply to my side.

I struggled to bring it back up, but it wouldn't budge. My heart was beating franticly, but I was able to gather myself enough to liquefy the shield that hung off my limp fist and whip it at her head.

It hit her with a loud smack, and sent her straight to the floor. I allowed myself a small smile, but it quickly faded as she used her own momentum to roll backwards into a standing position.

"What the hell!" I shouted, frustrated that she always seemed to bounce back, and ran towards her again.

She began somersaulting backwards, and my anger fueled me to follow. With a hard push, she was airborn. I sucked in a quick breath, I knew what she was doing and I was going too fast to stop it. My speed carried me right under her and she reached out, grabbing my shoulders. Weightlessly, she landed behind me and swept at my feet, with a push, I was sent sprawling to the ground. I felt my nose snap, and tasted blood.

My forehead throbbed as I looked up at her, the shock of hearing the snap making the pain of my broken nose lessen.

"Sorry!" she said, biting her lip.

I stared at her incredulously, and sprang to my feet, using my one good arm to keep me steady. My head was spinning and pounding in pain, but I was able to remember my goals, go for the weak points.

She came at me and jabbed at me again and again, but I was able to put a shield in between her hands and my body. I took my leg and swiped at her feet, but she jumped up to avoid it. She flew high into the air, almost clearing the top of my head, and came down quickly, her arms sticking straight out for balance. My chance was here, so I took it.

With as much strength as I could muster, I brought back my fist and punched her in the throat.

She made a strange, strangled sound and collapsed to the ground. I took the opportunity and ran for my life. I felt the blood dribble off of me chin and onto my shirt, but I was too frightened to care. I had to get out of here, if Ty Lee came back, I would be done for.

Quickly, I glanced behind me and saw the bored looking girl running after me with her arms in her sleeves, in the blink of an eye, her arms shot out. Metal glinted in the air as it soared towards me in slow motion. Mid stride, I dug my heels into the ground and leaned sideways, hoping I would fall and hit the ground before it hit me, but I was wrong. Sharp pain blossomed on the back of both my legs, and I crumpled to the ground. Despite the horrible pain, I got to my knees, and tried to get up, but the girl got to me first.

Her arm shot out and she grabbed me by the hair and started pulling me back towards the woman in red. I struggled as hard as I could, trying to loosen her grip with my only good arm, but her grip stayed relentless. "Lee! Toph!" I screamed, hoping one of them would hear me if Toph hadn't already felt the fight going on.

"Were coming Kat, hold on!" I heard lee shout from not too far off

I nearly cried at the sound of their voice, they must have heard the fight and came running as soon as possible.

The girl in red looked towards the voice with a strange expression that quickly turned to a smile. "Mai, you take Ty Lee and go on ahead, I'm going to take this one."

Mai sighed loudly and nodded releasing my hair. "Whatever. Just hurry up, I don't want to be stuck with Ty Lee for too long. You know how much she talks." She walked over to Ty Lee, where she sat rubbing her neck, tears in her eyes, and helped her up. I almost felt bad for her, it was really dirty of me to hit her there, but I was immediately reminded of my arm, which I still wasn't able to move.

Lee and Toph burst into my view and their eyes immediately found me, my face covered in blood, and my clothes torn and dirty.

A look of fright passed over his face, but as he glanced around to see my attacker, that fright turned to horror. "No…" he breathed the word out, but I heard it loud and clear.

"Oh Zuzu, what are _you_ doing here…I'm sure fathe-" before she could even finish her sentence, Lee was sprinting towards her, swords drawn, and pointing at her neck. A small look of surprise graced her face, but it was quickly gone and replaces with a sadistic smile.

"Lee!" I yelled, trying to stop him. She was the leader, the strongest one, and if she was any better than Ty Lee, she would be impossible to beat.

He took a swipe at her head, but she leaned backwards and it missed her face by inches.

Toph came to my side and gripped my shoulders. "Are you alright?"

"I'll be fine." I assured her, my broken nose causing me to sound nasally. "I can't move my arm though."

Lee looked to be in bad shape. The girl, Azula was her name, swiped her nails at Lees face, but he jerked back just in time. Taking his swords, he swung at her, but she met his swords with the armor covering her forearm. It bounced off, sending sparks shooting.

"No bending today?" she asked him. She reached out and her hand erupted into fire. I jumped a mile, jolting my nose and making the pain worse. Firebending. She reached back and punched out, sending a ball towards his chest. It hit with excellent accuracy right in the center of his chest leaving a burnt hole in his shirt. I expected to see his skin below a burning, blistering mess, but it was fine. Smooth and normal, albeit a little pink.

"Let me feel it." She reached out to grab my arm, but I stopped her.

"No!" I snapped, "Go help Lee."

"What am I supposed to do?!" she yelled back. "I can't see fire!"

I franticly glanced back at lee. He was in way over his head. With only his swords to fight with, he wasn't able to get close enough to even touch her. Every time he neared her, she would attack with fire, sending him back and burning more of his clothes. My heart beat franticly with worry for lee, and I was afraid that at any moment, she would kill him.

"I don't care, do something!" I screamed. Azula hit him again, sending him flying back. He rolled out of the way seconds before another fireball hit him and sprung to his feet. He dropped his swords and starting fighting her hand to hand.

Her face was calm and composed the entire time they fought, nothing seemed to faze her. Every single attack lee made was countered and blocked. Nothing he did seemed to help sway the battle in his direction. She was toying with him, I knew that for sure.

"You want me to do something?" she glared at me through her sightless eyes. "Fine!"

Toph turned around and kicked at the ground, making what first appeared to be a crack in the ground, but soon turned into a small chasm. Azula, who was about to attack Lee, never saw it coming. The ground seemed to fall from beneath her. She only had time for a confused look to cross her face before she was disappeared into the ground. With one jerking motion, Toph closed the ground back up and spun to me. "There! You happy?"

"Where did she go?" I asked from my place on the floor.

"Down there." She pointed into the ground.

I opened my mouth to reply, but the expression I didn't know I was making made my whole face hurt. I tried to touch my nose, but my arm still didn't budge. I groaned and flopped onto the ground in anger and frustration, causing my nose to shift and erupt with more head splitting pain.

"We need to go and find the Avatar _now_." I groaned. "Go get Lee."

She nodded her head and sprang up, running over to lee. I looked over to the mud where my earlier water whip had landed and pulled it towards me. I made it into an orb, cooled it down, and plunged my face into it, using it as an ice pack. The pain immediately subsided with surprising quickness. Behind my closed lids, I could sense a bright light. When I opened my eyes, I gasped in a mouth full of water and dropped my makeshift icepack. The water had been glowing bright blue, and there was no denying it.

As I coughed and sputtered, my mind raced. I couldn't have been doing that, all I was trying to do was make my face feel-

My good arm shot up to my face and touched my forehead, which had surely been shredded during the fall. My skin was smooth and unblemished.

An instinct, a gut feeling, told me that I had done that, but how? All I did was put my face into the water. I touched my nose and the pain was gone, but my nose was still crooked. With a newly peaked curiosity, I called Toph over from where she was kneeling with Lee. He seemed fine, a little shaken, but fine none the less.

She came over with a smile. "Yes?"

"I need you to push my nose back to where it's supposed to be."

"Is that what you're supposed to do when your nose breaks?"

I pursed my lips. "It's what they do in the movies, just do it."

"Ok, your funeral." She replied.

"Just do it quick before-" Before I could even blink, Toph snapped my nose back into place with her thumb. Pain erupted through my nose and I had to fight back my tears, it felt like she broke it again. I pulled the water back up and put it back on my nose, this time keeping my eyes open. Sure enough, the water glowed and the pain ebbed away.

"Lee." I called, getting his attention. "How does my face look?"

I could see him squint at my face, and with a strange look, he got up and limped over to me. "It looks fine, how in Agni's name did that happen?"

"Agni?" Toph asked. "Are you firenation?"

"Uh…" he went pale. "Yes."

"Hmmm." She seemed to be thinking. "That's interesting…"

"I don't know…" I answered, ignoring their conversation. "I just put the water on my face and it got better."

Lee frowned "I heard that some waterbenders are healers, maybe you…"

"I can heal?" I asked, clearly excited. I couldn't fight very well, but if I could heal myself, then that didn't matter much! I could fight without worry, and even help Toph and lee.

I heard a pounding noise coming from where Azula surely was.

"Ok, we need to go _now._" Lee spoke up. "Azula isn't going to be stuck for long, so the sooner we get to the avatar, the better."

"Can the avatar beat her?" I asked.

He nodded. "If anyone could do it, it'd be him." With a grunt, he pushed himself to his feet and went off towards the dropped supplies.

Before he was too far away, Toph grabbed my shoulder and pulled my ear to her mouth. "Does Lee have a scar on his face?"

She pulled away and waited. "Yes."

"Is it over his eye?" her brows furrowed.

"Yeah." I nodded, knowing she couldn't see me.

"And his eyes are gold…" she half asked, half predicted.

"Yes…" I answered slowly, wondering how she could so accurately guess what he looked like.

"Well. That's interesting."

"How did you know?" I asked.

"Oh, just a guess…" she got up and turned to Lee. "C'mon, let's go."

**o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o**

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**Review please!**

**I'll be free for the next couple of weeks, so I'll be able to update in a week or two.**


	8. Avatar

**I bet you didn't believe me when I said I'd have the chapter up within a week or two...Well HA! In your face. Enjoy.**

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"Does anyone know what the Avatar looks like?" I asked, sidestepping a large and jagged-looking rock. "So far, I've pictured him as a short old man with a beard, very Yoda like."

"I do, I've seen him. He's incredibly tall, like a tree. He has green skin and-"

"Ha, ha, Toph, very funny." I rolled my eyes. "Do you know, Lee?"

He pursed his lips before answering. "He's short, you got that part right. But he's not old, at least not physically or mentally. He's only twelve."

"Technically, he's one hundred and twelve."

"One hundred and twelve?" I questioned in shock.

"It's a long story, but you'll be able to ask him about it soon." Toph nudged my shoulder with a smile.

"But he _looks_ twelve." Lee cut in, irritated that we were sidetracked so easily. "And he's got an arrow tattoo on his forehead."

"Great, we're looking for a tattooed up twelve year old…" I muttered.

His lip twitched in what could have been a smile. "You know… There _have_ been wanted posters in every town we've passed through."

"Oh."

His lip twitched once more, a slight curve appearing on him.

I had to bite my tongue to keep from laughing. Ever since the fight, we had been getting along very well. We haven't fought or argued once (well, we have, but nothing that was serious), and he even taught me a few more fighting techniques. I had never guessed that Lee was funny either, not joke-telling funny, but unintentionally so. His face, when not angry or doing that annoying blank-faced thing he does, was very expressive. He seemed to react to everything we say, and he had a strange habit of flipping his hair out of his eyes, sometimes it looked like a nervous twitch.

Multiple times I wanted to tell him to just cut his hair, but I could never do it. It didn't seem to be my place, and every other man I have ever seen in this world has had long hair. Plus, I bet long hair would look good on him.

Toph yawned and stretched, arching her back, and Lee had to stop walking so she wouldn't fall off his shoulders. I still found the whole situation comical. Yesterday, after the fight, I thought Toph would have given him a day's rest, but as soon as we ready to go, she was right back on him. I felt sorry for him at first, thinking he would tire out and have a difficult time continuing on, but that pity soon turned to admiration. That boy was strong. Very strong. I hadn't noticed how fit he was until now. He had strong legs, muscular arms, and from what I could tell from the hole in his shirt, he had a nice set of abs. Most boys his age, at least in my world, were video game playing couch potatoes, but he was a warrior.

"Toph, this is wrong." Lee said, grabbed her under her arms, and put her on the ground.

"Whoa…" Toph put her hands on the ground and snapped her head up to him. "Why didn't you tell me earlier?"

I gave them a questioning look and glanced around. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary. We had been walking through a grassy field and now we were nearing a grove of tightly packed trees a mile or two away.

"What is it?" I asked. My hand found its way to the blue pendant necklace, rubbing it nervously. Had Azula come back? Did we catch up to Ty Lee and Mai?

"I can't believe this!" Lee shouted, his voice angry, but his face held a hint of relief. "What now?"

Toph stood up and looked at him. "I don't know…" she grumbled.

"Can someone please tell me what's going on?" I pleaded, confused and worried.

Lee sighed. "I've been following that beast's footprints the entire time, but they are heading into that forest."

"So?" I asked.

"The beast weighs at least a ton. It's huge! It can't possible go in there, let alone walk through it." He explained, sounding exasperated.

"But you said-"

"That the foot prints lead into the forest?" he cut me off, finishing me sentence. "Well, they can't be. They must be fake, a decoy or something."

"But why would they go through so much trouble?" I asked.

"So no one would find him." He brought his head back and stared at the sun. "You saw Azula, people like her are after him all of the time."

"What now?" I repeated Lee's question, more to myself to anyone else. "We can't just turn around and go back; we don't have that kind of time…"

Lee looked back down and kicked at the dirt. "Where's the nearest town? We'll go in and get a bit of rest before we decide what to do."

Toph knelt down and placed her palm on the ground. "There's a town not too far from here, just a few miles."

I glanced up at Lee, his face showing nothing but frustration. "Yes, rest sounds good, let's go. Lead the way, Rambo."

Toph cleared her throat and tapped her foot on the ground. With a roll of his eyes, he placed Toph back atop his shoulders. She pointed the way, and we were off. Maybe while were there I'd buy Toph a bridle and some reins for Lee…

**o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o**

"Here, take these and get something to eat, we'll meet back here in a half an hour." I handed Lee and Toph a small handful of strange looking coins.

"Sweet!" Toph yelled and started walking off.

"Don't buy sweets!" I yelled after her. "And don't go too far!"

"Okay, _mom_!" She yelled back at me and disappeared into the crowd.

Lee turned to leave, and panic raced through me. "Wait!" I called after him.

He stopped and turned back towards me.

"Don't leave me alone." I practically commanded. "I have no idea what kind of food is good, and I haven't a clue how much these coins are worth."

He sighed and glanced around, probably considering handing me off to someone else. After a moment, he looked back at me. "Come with me."

I smiled in thanks and fell into step with him. "Where can we eat?"

"_I'm_ headed towards the market."

"Where's that?"

"Usually it's in the middle of the town."

I nodded my head and stepped around a group of children. "So…" I started. "Where are you from?"

Lee looked at me and then back down the path. "Far away."

I could tell he didn't want to talk about it, so I fell silent.

We continued walking along the pathway in the general flow of traffic, and while I smiled politely at the people we passed, Lee seemed to grow more and more uncomfortable. I was about to question him when he smoothed his hair over the side of his face, presumably to make sure his scar was covered. He never seemed to enter a town without his face covered.

"Why do you do that?" I asked.

"Do what?"

"Cover your scar like that." I prompted.

He sucked in his bottom lip and stayed quiet.

"It's not like it looks bad." Girls like scars, I almost told him, but his expression changed my mind. His face went from looking calm, albeit a little annoyed, to agitated and angry.

"What'd I say?" I muttered.

"Just drop it." Lee retorted, a harsh bite to the tone of his voice.

"Okay, okay, geez." I sighed, sounding suspiciously like Toph, and when I looked back at his face it was perfectly blank. Apparently his scar was a very sensitive subject although I didn't know why. I thought that regardless of his scar, he was still handsome. Maybe he got it young, I knew first hand that kids could be brutal, so maybe he got teased a lot. I tapped my nails on my necklace and decided that I would have to bring it up sometime later.

Suddenly, my nose was assaulted with the hearty smells of cooking meat and spices. It was like I walked into a wall of delicious smells.

"The good thing about the Earth Kingdom is that they have food from all three nations." Lee told me, most likely in reaction to my obvious delight. His voice was still a bit tight, but I could tell he was making an effort, so I respected that. "There's a lot of regional Earth Kingdom food too."

"I think I'll just follow my nose." I inhaled deeply and smiled, if I didn't get food into my mouth soon, I'd start drooling.

Lee followed me as I walked through the market, passing food stall after food stall. I eventually settled on a simple stand that sold spiced fruits and grilled vegetables, because seriously…who wants more meat after eating nothing but meat for the last few weeks? Apparently though, Lee didn't feel the same way. Before I had even noticed Lee had left, he was by my side with a meat kebab in hand.

"Let's find somewhere to sit." I said and looked around until I found a flat bench-like thing to sit on.

Like usual, Lee was silent, and not wanting to sit in quiet for the next twenty minutes, it was up to me to talk. Still, he'd come a long way from his short answers and ignoring me. "I still don't believe that we followed those fake footprints all of the way here. It just seems… I don't know. How did we not realize?"

"I was thinking about that too…" He sighed and leaned back so his head was resting against the wall. "But we were a few weeks behind them, so we knew the prints weren't fresh, but we didn't think they were that old."

"I guess it was a smart thing to do, it fooled us _and_ Azula, but now were really screwed."

"Yeah, they could've been through this town months ago."

"When I first met up with Toph, we followed them out of the town, but the Avatar had probably been flying the entire way, why hadn't I seen that?"

"It's not your fault." He said quite awkwardly. "We thought he had walked too, there were a lot of forests on the way, so to me, I believed that he had used the trees as cover."

"Makes sense." I commented. "There are a lot of people after him."

"Yeah…" he took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. "I wonder how long it's been since he passed through here."

"Me too…"

"Oh well, we'll never know."

I glanced over at him and shook my head, if he wasn't going to do it, then I was. I picked the first child I could find and called him over. It was a little boy of about six that had a mess of brown curls atop his head. He wiped at his face, smearing dirt on his tan cheek. "Yes?" he asked politely.

I smiled at him as Lee looked on with confusion. "Can you tell me when the Avatar passed through here last?"

He looked at us suspiciously. "Why?"

"We were just wondering." I gave him what I hoped was a reassuring smile.

He pursed his lips, but apparently he decided to trust me. "Yesterday, ma'am."

My face froze, and my brain completely stopped. It took a good ten seconds before either I or Lee could react. "What?!" We both shrieked. Well, I shrieked, Lee just yelled.

The boy jumped and glanced back towards the crowd as if plotting his escape. "Yeah."

I looked at Lee, a giant goofy smile on my face. "Does this mean that-"

He cut me off. "-That they were in the grove?"

"But how could Toph not have known?" I asked Lee.

"I have to go." The little boy ran away like I was going to eat him.

"Thank you!" I called after him.

"We need to find Toph." He muttered, his voice serious, and his face suddenly worried.

"Yeah." I got up and stretched, the smile never leaving my face. I was finally going to meet this Avatar fellow, maybe then I'll be able to go home. That was all they wanted me to do, right? They told me to find the Avatar and then they left. But why would I have to even meet him? Was there something more? My smile faltered as my mind continued to bombard me with the possibilities. Was this some kind of medieval quest? I should have pushed for more answers, and if I hadn't thought I was dead, I probably would have. And then what would happen, they'd take me home… right? That was what they promised, and these spirits wouldn't go back on their word, right?

"C'mon, where should we look first?"

"The alleyways." He muttered in a monotone.

I snickered, but knew that it was a good suggestion. "Very well then, let's go."

Lee was quiet as we searched for Toph, this was not unusual, but this time it was different. He looked nervous and sick to his stomach. "Are you alright?" I asked.

"I'm fine." He grunted.

"You look a little sick." I pointed out, but that wasn't all, he looked very pale.

He looked at me then glanced away. "I'm just a little nervous… The Avatar is a very powerful boy."

I scoffed. "We have no reason to be afraid of him… It's not like were hunting him."

"Yeah." He murmured.

Surprisingly, it did not take long to hind Toph. We found her exiting an alleyway near the end of the market.

"Toph!" I yelled and ran up to her. I grabbed her by the shoulders and gave her a big hug. "The Avatar was here just yesterday! He's probably still in the grove!"

"What?" she asked, pushing away from me.

"Yeah, we asked someone and they said he was just here! Why didn't you feel him?"

She looked angry at my question. "We were more than a mile away! Even the strongest vibrations get weak at that distance! I thought they were animals."

"Well, let's go!" I grabbed Toph's arm and pulled her towards the town's main gate with Lee following slowly behind.

She sighed. "But I didn't get a chance to eat!"

"What were you doing all that time then?" I yelled behind me, weaving in and out of the people.

"Making money." She chuckled.

I stopped. "What do you mean?"

"I made a few bets and took a few chances. They paid off."

"So you took the money we gave you for food and gambled with it?" I asked, my mouth agape. Just then Lee caught up to us and stood, waiting.

"I guess you could say that." She said nonchalantly.

I mage a strange grunting noise and sighed. "We don't have time for this." I grabbed Lee's wrist and started pulling him along as well.

**o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o**

"They are definitely in there." Toph crossed her arms and Looked at me. "Are you ready?"

I nodded my head swiftly.

"Are _you_ ready?" Toph asked Lee. There seemed to be more meaning behind her question, but I had no idea what it was.

Lee looked at Toph, and nodded his head slowly. "Let's go."

I took a deep breath, steeled my nerves, and walked through the trees, thinking the whole time about what I would do when I got there. What would I say? "Hello, my name is Katara, but you can call me Kat. I was sent here by spirits, but I have no idea why." Yeah, that didn't sound insane at all.

"Where are they?" Lee asked his voice tight with worry.

"Just ahead." She told him.

I smiled. "Good, because-"

Toph's eyes widened. "Wait! No, don't go th-"

My ankle was abruptly jerked out from under me; I fell backwards and smacked my head on the hard dirt ground. In a split second, I was hanging from a tree by a rope. "Ow! What the hell!?" I yelled, rubbing the sore spot on my head.

Toph burst into laughter, while Lee just stared at me, mouth agape. "Are you okay?" he called.

I grumbled a stream of curses and uncorked my water skin. With one fluid movement, I used the water to cut myself free. Unfortunately, I hadn't thought it though very well, and immediately began falling twenty or so feet to the ground. I hardly had time to scream, before I hit something hard and solid, expecting it to be the ground and hurt like hell, I braced myself for the pain to come, but nothing happened. I opened my eyes and was face to face with Lee. I threw my arms around Lee in gratitude, but before I could speak, Toph's voice shot through us like a bullet.

"This isn't good… They're coming, and I don't think we'll be getting a very welcome greeting." Toph got into a bending position and waited.

I jumped out of Lee's arms, and he slunk back some. "Don't fight, promise me, Toph." I said, looking her straight in her sightless eyes. The last thing we wanted was for him to think we were the bad guys.

"I don't think we have much of a choice right now."

"Don't fight." I commanded her.

Her eyes narrowed briefly, but she nodded her head. "If I get attacked, I will not hold back." She walked away from me and found a tree to lean on, out of the way and in a hidden spot.

I nodded in understanding. "I don't expect you to."

I only heard quick footsteps for a moment before two figures burst into view. I singled out the Avatar quickly, the arrow on his showing bright and proud. He was shorter than I expected, and he looked surprisingly young. I took an uncertain step towards him, expecting him to stop, but he made a direct beeline towards Lee. I opened my mouth to call out his name, but he pulled his staff forward and a gust of air burst from its tip, surprising me and pushing Lee further into the trees and out of sight. He charged after him, and I saw Toph follow.

"Wait!" I called, but had no time to do anything else. The second figure, a dark-skinned boy wearing blue like myself, ran for me. His speed wasn't great, but the sword he carried was black and harsh. I had a split second to react; he swung his sword at me, the heaviness of his sword making it soar through the air with great momentum. I dove out of the way and rolled back to my feet, using the defensive maneuvers Lee had taught me. "Stop!" I yelled, but he didn't pause once.

Swing after swing, slice after slice, he came at me savagely. The weight of my waterskin was against my hip, but I didn't want to use it unless absolutely necessary, the last thing I wanted was to attack him.

I tried to take a quick glance at where everyone disappeared to, but the boy raised his sword over his head and swung it down, aiming to kill. I could only move a fraction of an inch, and the heavy blade cut into my bicep. Pain exploded in my arm, and I cried out, falling to the ground. Blood quickly saturated my sleeve. I looked down at the gash on the side of my arm, and started to feel queasy. The combination of shock and adrenaline flowing through me slowly began to take the edge off of the pain.

"Please." I begged, applying pressure to my arm. I didn't want to fight him, but if he didn't stop, I would have to and that would jeopardize everything. He faltered in his step for a second, but his face hardened over, and he came at me once more. From my position on the floor, I rolled out of the way, missing the blade by an inch.

He would kill me if I didn't fight back, I told myself. So I did what I had to, I uncorked my waterskin and got into a bending position. He charged at me, sword out, a look of concentration in his blue eyes.

Without warning, I quickly bought out a stream of water and snapped it at his head. It hit him with a loud smack, and he was pushed back a few steps. He looked at me wide eyes for a second and then he looked at the string of water in my hands. His glare scared me. "Traitor." He growled.

Before I could even question him, he charged. I waited until he was close and used the water to encase his arms and hold him subject to my control. My arm pulsed, but I held him steady even through the pain. His face was inches apart and he was heaving from exertion, but I was finally able to see his eyes. They were exactly like mine. Not just the color, but all of the different tones of blue, all of the specks or dark and light. Everything was the same. For a second it was like looking into a mirror, and I could tell he was as shocked as me. I slowly let the water fall to the earth, releasing him from my hold, but neither of us moved. It was like we made a silent pact not to attack.

"Who are you?" he asked, and searched my face.

I searched his too. I felt as if I had met this boy before.

His eyes traveled to the blue pendant around my neck and his expression changed to shock. He stared at it, dumbfounded, mouth agape. "My-my mom's…" He sputtered and stopped, mouth opening and closing with nothing but air escaping his lips. He reached up and gripped my shoulders. "Where did you get that?"

"I-I found it." I whispered, not lying because I didn't think I could do it even if I wanted to, this boy felt… I don't know, it's too hard to explain.

"This was my mother's." He whispered. He reached out and touched me necklace gently, his touch so light I wasn't sure if he even did it. A big gust of air escaped from his lungs as he stared, transfixed, at the necklace.

I was frozen, shocked at the intense connection I felt with this boy. I could do nothing but stare at his eyes, his face.

His head came down slowly, gradually, and he rested his forehead on the stone pendant. He seemed to be shaking, but it could have just been my eyes playing tricks on me.

He stared up at me, eyes glistening, only pride held his tears at bay. "Who are you?" his voice was a low, quiet rumble. His tone holding only raw emotion.

I swallowed deeply at took a calming breath before answering. "My name is Katara."

His lips opened, letting a sharp intake of air back in. his hand found its way to my face and cupped my cheek lightly. Normally, this would have freaked me out, I had known this boy for no more than tem minutes, and the majority of those had been spent fighting…but he was…different.

Tears finally began to leak down his tan cheeks, a drastic change from the warrior he was. A small laugh escaped him. "I knew it, Gran Gran was right."

Without warning, he pulled me into a deep hug. He squeezed me hard, causing my arm to burn with pain and for blood to leak onto his shirt, but I didn't mind the pain. I felt compelled, no… There was a driving force in my mind that told me to hug him back. I reached around and pulled him tight to me, hugging him back with all of my strength, pressure began to well behind my eyes, the same pressure that meant I was about to cry, but it wasn't from the pain… I felt loved. This was a different love, one that I have never felt before. I was confused, scared, and in pain, but I _knew_ that this strange boy loved me.

He pulled away all too soon, and stared me straight in the eye, "Was he with you?"

It took me a second to realize who he was talking about. "Yes, he's with me."

"Shit." His shoulders sagged, but he grabbed my hand and pulled me further into the forest, yanking my injured arm and causing me to grunt in pain. I considered stopping so I could heal it, but I had to wait, I needed to make sure Toph and Lee were okay. "Do you trust him?" he asked.

"Yes." I answered.

"Shit!" he yelled again, this time louder. "I have to stop Aang…" I detected a hint of bitterness in his voice.

We found them quickly by following the sound of yelling.

I saw Toph first, she was resting against a tree, watching Lee and the Avatar. She turned to us and gave us a knowing smile. "You better hurry." She warned.

I picked up my pace and ran past Toph, expecting to see blood and violence. What I saw surprised me. Toph had obviously gotten involved. The Avatar had been restrained, his arms were being held between two long posts of rock, fists disappearing into the rock. His feet were submerged in the dirt. His face was livid with anger and filled with hate.

Lee's shirt, which already had the singed hole in the middle, was torn down the side with a long slash, his skin red and puckered underneath.

All was quiet, both boys starting into the others face until the Avatar noticed the boy I was with. "Sokka!" he yelled.

Sokka ran towards the Avatar, but I didn't miss the suspicious glance he sent to Lee. "Aang, we need to-"

"Get me out of here!" he yelled.

"No, Aang…" he glanced at me, suddenly unsure. I gave him a pleading look and he gulped, turning back to Aang. "Did he attack you?"

"No! But he's with them!" he yelled, body shaking, eyes glistening with tears. "They'll do it again, they'll hurt him again!"

"Aang…" Sokka glanced again towards Lee. "I don't think so; I think we need to talk to them."

"Why?" Aang looked at Lee. "Zuko gave us no reason to trust him, why do it now?"

"Zuko…? I questioned. Why did that sound so familiar, and why were they calling Lee Zuko? Suddenly, my mind pictured a man with a giant hideous scar covering his whole face. He had red eyes, like a monster. But that image faded into one of Lee. Was Lee this Zuko, the prince of the Fire Nation? My mind couldn't comprehend this. They couldn't be the same people. The prince was a monster, too bad for even the Fire Nation to handle. Lee had done nothing bad. But Zuko was after Aang, and that would explain why the Avatar attacked him without a second to loose.

Lee was Zuko… He had to be.

"Aang…" Sokka looked at me, rousing me from my thought. "I think she's my sister."

**o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o**

"What?" I whispered and stared into the shocked faces of the Avatar and Sokka.

Aang looked back at Sokka. "Are you sure? I didn't think…"

Sokka nodded. "I know."

I looked at Lee- No, Zuko, and decided to ask him my question while Aang and Sokka talked. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"You wouldn't have trusted me!" he yelled defensively.

I shook my head at him. "I knew nothing about this world and Fire Nation politics when I first met you. I wouldn't have cared."

"I didn't know that!" His brows furrowed with worry.

"I told you everything…" I wasn't even angry at him, I was disappointed. I trusted him with my secret, but he didn't see fit to tell me his. How could I trust him again when he kept such a big secret from me? "How could you not think I'd trust you?"

He sighed and shook his head. "I didn't mean to-"

I turned away and ignored him; I didn't even want to look at him right now. I was with Toph in a few steps. I placed my hand on her shoulder and watched Aang and Sokka talk quietly back and forth. Only a few sentences reached our ears. "I know, but I have to trust my sister, she wouldn't be traveling with-" The rest of his sentence was too low for us to hear.

Toph nudged me in the ribs. "He really believes he's your brother…"

I nodded. "I know, and you know what the weird thing is? I believe him." I told her honestly, there was no other way that could explain what happened between us.

She nodded. "You know…I knew Lee was Zuko."

"Why didn't you tell me?" I asked, and glanced back over at Zuko. He looked miserable, he had to be. He lost my trust and I could tell that he didn't have the best relationship with Aang and Sokka either.

"I didn't want to out him." She looked at me. "What if I had told Lee about _your_ secret?"

It sucked that she was right. "What do you think is going to happen?"

"Well, if a few seconds, they're going to ask me to let the Avatar go. I'm surprised they haven't done so already." She smiled her trademark lopsided smirk, and we both waited.

Sure enough, a few seconds later, Aang spoke. "Can you let me go now?"

"Will you promise not to attack Zuko?" Toph asked.

I scratched my head with my hurt arm and I could feel the dry blood on my arm. I had almost forgotten about it, but now that I was looking directly at the wound, it started pounding again. I still held off healing it, I wanted to know what was going to happen first.

"I won't attack him." He promised.

Toph walked up to him and kicked at the posts. They both crumbled and fell to the ground. Next, she grabbed him by the shoulder and Pulled up, yanking his feet out of the dirt. "There you go."

I walked up to the Avatar and waited, unsure of what to do or say. Sokka was by my side in a second, and started talking. "We're going to go to our campsite so we can talk."

I nodded in understanding. "Okay."

**o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o**

Their campsite was a shabby thing, it was disorganized and dirty. Things were scattered all around, and personal possessions looked like they were thrown into their tent. Within a few minutes, I was itching to clean it.

All of us sat around the unlit firepit and waited. No one knew what to say, and no one wanted to break the silence.

"Avatar Aang…" I began, hoping the words would come to me.

"Just Aang." He corrected.

"Aang, I was told to find you by the spirits." I held my breath, hoping he wouldn't think I sounded crazy.

"I know… I was visited by them too, they told me you would find me. They told me you would help me."

"I have no idea what I could help you with."

"Well, she is a water bender, she could help you practice!" Sokka added, and patted my arm.

"Oh god!" I cried out in pain and clutched my arm. I had forgotten all about the cut again, and now it was bleeding.

"Sorry!" Sokka yelled. "It's all my fault…"

"No, no, no. it's okay, really." I told him, fighting back the tears. "Do you have any water around? I used all mine up when we fought."

Aang pointed to a clay pot. "It's in there."

I pulled half the water out and made it into a glove over my hand, with a bit of concentration I was able to make it glow a bright blue. With a sigh of relief, I put the glove on my cut. I watched the skin mold itself back together quickly, and felt the pain go away. When I looked up again, Aang and Sokka were staring at me wide eyed.

"You're a healer?" he asked, a spark suddenly in his eyes.

"Yeah, not a very good one though." I admitted.

Aang was on his feet in a split second. "I need your help then!" He ran over, grabbed my arm, and pulled me towards the shabby tent. "My pet Momo got hurt."

He knelt down and crawled into the small tent, I followed him nervously, knowing I had prove myself an asset. Bundled into a blanket was a monkey like animal, with white fur and black circles around its eye. It was actually very cute in a weird way, but it didn't look like it was doing too well. It was breathing shallowly, and its fur was damp with sweat.

"What happened?" I asked.

His eyes started to water. "We were attacked on our way here, and he got hurt."

"Where is he hurt?"

He pulled the blanket off of the animal and I nearly fainted. It had a large cut on its chest, and a gaping wound in its side. "Mai and Ty Lee." I said breathlessly.

Aang sniffed. "Yeah." His voice was choked with emotion. "I thought you were with them… That's why I was so angry… I'm not usually so-"

"Its okay." I rubbed his back and tried my best to comfort him. "I'll see what I can do."

"Can I watch?" he asked with pleading eyes.

"Yes."

I called water towards me and pondered the best course of action; this animal probably lost a lot of blood, so I had to work quickly. I made a healing glove and placed it on the small cut first, that would be the quickest and easiest. Using all of my concentration, I closed my eyes and used my senses to guide the healing, healing the flesh and skin. I opened my eyes and smiled. The first cut was completely gone; no evidence of it was left.

"Wow!" He exclaimed.

"I know. I never get used to it." I smiled at him, but then remembered the second cut.

"This was a knife wound. Did she throw a dagger at him?"

"Yeah… She attacked us, and Momo tried to distract her."

I flinched; I remembered exactly how it felt to have one of her daggers in my skin. I used the same water to form another glove and placed it on the wound. Using the water as an extension of myself, I was able to tell exactly how deep it was. The wound was about two inches deep, but for the size of the animal, that was massive. The water worked its way into the wound and swept out all of the dirt that had gotten inside. I took more water from the clay pot and used it in place of the dirty stuff. I placed the glove over the wound again and examined it using my waterbending.

I noted to myself that I could use the blood to expand my sight within the body. From my limited knowledge, I could tell that there was no internal bleeding of any sorts, but a few veins were cut through. I healed those first, and reconnected them. I went to work on the muscle next. Thank the gods her daggers were sharp, it was a clean cut and was quite easy to heal. I smiled to myself and healed the last layer of skin, suddenly aware of the sweat that was beading on my forehead. I was exhausted, but none of that mattered anymore when the animal opened its large green eyes and let out a weak chirp.

"He'll be fine, just let him rest…he lost a lot of blood." I whipped the sweat off of my brow and smiled with satisfaction.

"Thank you so much! Later today, I'll introduce you to Appa, he's grazing right now." The Avatar was so happy he jumped at me and gave one of the most heartfelt hugs I have ever received in my entire life. As soon as he let go, all of his attention went to the cooing animal.

"I'm not here for the Avatar!" I heard Zuko yell from outside the tent.

I quietly excused myself and went outside to see what was going on.

"Why should I believe you?!" Sokka retaliated.

Zuko groaned. "If I were after him, don't you think I would have attacked already?"

Sokka put his hands into claws. "Maybe you're just waiting until the middle of the night to attack."

"Since when have I ever had enough patience to wait?" Zuko shouted. I almost laughed at that one.

His mouth opened, but nothing came out. "That's true." He said after a while.

"Sokka," I began "He's not going to hurt the Avatar."

"How do you know?"

"I just do." I shrugged. "And Toph, the one laughing at you guys right now, she can tell if people are lying. She trusts him, so you can too."

"How can you tell if people are lying?"

"Long story short, I can monitor a person's heartbeat."

"How?" he asked again.

She sighed and rolled her eyes. "I use earth bending to feel vibrations."

"You're an earth bender?" Aang asked from behind me, surprising everyone but Toph.

"Yeah." She answered nonchalantly. "Don't you remember? I did restrain you."

"Oh yeah…" he blushed. "I was kind of distracted at the time."

I placed my hand on his shoulder. "It's understandable." I told him, trying my best to comfort him again. I didn't know what it was about this boy, but I didn't want to see him distressed, it made me uncomfortable just thinking about it.

"How good are you?" he asked.

"I'm the best earth bender in the world." She said pointedly, already knowing what his next question would be.

His brows furrowed, and I could tell he didn't know whether she was joking or not. I decided to give him a hand. "She really is."

He knelt in front of her. "Then can you teach me to earth bend?"

Her smile was ear to ear so I could tell she had something up her sleeve. "Only if you let Zuko stay too."

"What?!" Sokka shrieked.

"Deal." Aang told her.

**o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o

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**I really enjoyed writing the scene between Katara and Sokka, it was just so much fun! And I really love writing fight scenes.**

**This one is pretty long, right? I hope you liked it. In the next chapter, you'll find out what Sokka and the Avatar had been up to until that point, and you'll also get to know a little more about Zuko. Oh, its going to be strange not calling him Lee anymore. In the begining I would always call him Zuko, but now I think it will be reversed!**

**Review please! And lurkers...come out come out wherever you are. I need to know what you guys think, and I'll even try to reply to them!  
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	9. Grudges

**A/N: Hey guys! How ya doing? You guys don't know how much fun this story is to write, it's amazing! I love that this story makes me think, what would characters be like without the influences of Katara? How would the storyline of the series be altered? It's so much fun and I wouldn't be able to write any of this if it wasn't for you guys! I love you all! (But not in the creepy stalker way…ok, well…maybe a little.)**

**So this one is a little shorter than the last one, but this week I was going for more quality than quantity. Sorry it took so long, but I've been pretty busy and this thing called life got in the way.**

* * *

**o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o**

I really didn't believe them when they said it. Why should I have? It just sounded so…Outlandish. I thought they were joking about his size, I mean come on…A ten ton bison that flies? How likely was that? They told me that the bison had horns and was as big as a house, but I didn't actually believe it until I saw it.

And let me tell you…It was _big._

"Katara, meet Appa." Aang chirped, his love for the animal evident in his voice.

I don't know why they called him a bison; he didn't look like any bison's I've seen. Last time I checked, bison didn't have tails like that one did. Beavers did, big furry-tailed beavers. Or a furry platypus. But I couldn't very well call him a flying platypus, could I? Beavers aren't majestic enough for this animal, he was, at the very least, ten tons, but as he took off into the air, he was graceful and feather-light.

Aang cheered away as Appa did a little loop and came back down to land. "Want to ride him?" he asked with a smile.

I looked at the animal warily; it could roll over and crush me any minute. But if Aang trusted him then why shouldn't I? Aang was the wise and all powerful avatar; I could trust him with anything, even my safety. At least, yhat's what I was telling myself as I nodded and followed him around to the back of the animal, avoiding his multiple legs of course.

With a bit of trepidation, I climbed up the bison's tail like a ramp, and situated myself on the saddle.

Aang smiled at me and sat on the bison's head, right between the horns. "Yip, Yip!" he yelled and snapped the reins.

I sucked in a breath and held it in my lungs as Appa pushed off the ground. With a swish of his massive tail, we were off.

I expected to be terrified, but I wasn't. I can't even say I was even the least bit frightened. In fact, it was absolutely thrilling. I found myself letting go of the death grip I had on the saddle so I could stretch my arms out, letting the wind whip my already messy hair and clothes around. It was like walking on clouds, and although I preferred keeping my two feet planted on the ground, this was just so… There weren't any words that could describe how I felt at this moment. Appa flew over the grove and rose higher and higher in the air, but the ride was over all too soon, and we were on the ground again in minutes.

"Its great, right?" he asked, the smile never leaving his face.

"Exhilarating." I agreed, grinning from ear to ear. How could you go through that and not have a huge, dorky smile on your face.

"Want to talk to him?" he jumped down and stood next to Appa's head.

"He can talk?" I asked him, my voice heavy with skepticism.

"Sure you can, right boy?" The avatar stroked the bison's cheek and let out a groan in reply.

"Right…" I walked up to Appa's face and stroked his cheek just like Aang had done. He seemed docile enough, and his eyes…they seemed wise and intelligent. I knew that he understood everything we were saying perfectly. I could definitely get used to Appa, and I wouldn't have to walk much anymore either.

"Come on, let's get back before everyone wakes up." He suggested. Appa grumbled in agreement.

The only one who was awake when we returned to camp was Lee- I mean Zuko. But that wasn't surprising at all; he hadn't been in the camp when Aang and I awoke. I first thought that he had run off, maybe it was all too much for him. Last night they had told me what had happened between them and Zuko, so maybe he thought I would bite his head off at any chance I got.

I ran my fingers through my hair to get out the tangles while Aang chatted away about Appa, but I was only thinking of last night.

**o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o**

"Well, I was out fishing with my new boat…" he began "And I got really angry and threw my pole into the ocean for reasons I won't get into…"

"Probably wasn't catching anything." Toph piped in with a laugh. I cleared my voice to cover my own chuckle and gestured to a frustrated Sokka to continue.

He glared at Toph, "You know what? Forget it! Long story short, I hit an underwater mine that was left over from the war, an iceberg popped up, there was a big light, and the Avatar was in the ice." He said in a big huff.

Zuko was holding back so much laughter that his face was turning red.

"Uh…"Aang didn't know what to do. "Thank you…I think I'll continue from there."

"Fine." Sokka folded his arms across his chest and furrowed his brows.

"When I got out, I had to tell him I was the Avatar to get him to stop trying to kill me. I think he thought I was Fire Nation. I gave him a ride back to the village on Appa; even though I was still pretty sure he wanted to kill me." He gave Sokka a smile and went on. "When I got to the village, everyone was amazed that I was an airbender."

Sokka took over. "So this guy…" he pointed at Zuko. "Comes along and demands we give him the Avatar, or else he'll destroy the whole town-"

"You forgot the part where I kicked your butt." Zuko cut in from his position in the circle. I couldn't help but notice that he was facing sideways, away from the fire. It was like he was trying to shut himself out or make himself appear as small as possible (which would be difficult if he kept making these funny comments).

He scowled at Zuko. "Would you like to tell the story?" Without waiting for an answer, he spoke. "So Zuko starts spitting out fire until Aang goes with him, although I could have easily gotten rid of him..."

Both Zuko and Toph snorted.

His expression seemed permanently set on glare at this point. "They left and I realized my boomerang was still on Appa, so I had to go and find the bison- which was surprisingly hard considering how big he was. So when I did, the beast took off with me still on it! He must have known where Aang was because the next thing I knew, I was thrown onto Zuko's boat-"

"War ship." Zuko corrected.

Sokka glanced at him. "_Boat_, and I was being attacked by soldiers! So I was surrounded on all sides by firebenders and armed soldiers, all after one thing…my life. The only thing between them and me were my boomerang and war clubs-"

I won't insult your intelligence by making you listen to his…interesting summary. It turns out they escaped, but just barely. The avatar fell off the ship and when he came back up he beat them all and ruined the ship. They also mentioned something about the avatar state, but I didn't question it further.

Sokka had agreed to continue on with the avatar for three reasons. The first was that the avatar had saved his life, and he was bound by honor to repay him someway, this seemed to be the perfect way. The second reason was because Sokka hadn't had that much fun or seen that much action in his whole life. He wanted to become a better warrior, and it was guaranteed he'd get a lot of practice if he stuck around with Aang. And last, the avatar was supposed to save the world, and in turn, save his tribe from future attacks. If he didn't help and the Avatar failed, he would consider it to be his fault. He had the chance to help and he didn't. What if he had made the difference between victory and defeat?

After that, they had visited a few islands, but they were vague on the details except that Zuko had followed them the whole time. They even went to a fire nation island, I think they called it Crescent Island, and there they found out about a comet that would give the Fire Nation enough power to win the war. After that, Sokka had implemented a strict rule along with one rule: no more screwing around. He was set on the idea of having Aang master the elements as quickly as possible, and defeating the Fire Nation before the summer's end. All of the little trips ended and they were to act very serious from then on.

Aang cut in at this point and explained how they had traveled directly to the Northern Water Tribe so that he could find a teacher. He had found a master named Pakku and learned to waterbend. He had been taught for a few weeks before they found out that the Fire Nation was on their way to attack. With nothing else to do, he went to a spiritual oasis so he could speak to Avatar Roku. But since no one was there to protect him, Zuko was able to walk in and take him.

I glanced over to Zuko and saw that he was very quiet, no longer making little comments. He had a kind of sober expression on his face.

Aang was found not too long after and they captured Zuko, which was an interesting turn of events. The Avatar fought off the Fire Nation by going into something called the Avatar state, where he would get these incredible powers, and they got out of there as quickly as possible since the Fire Nation now knew for certain he was alive, and they also knew where he was.

"After this, Zuko just drops out of the picture and we meet Azula."

"I thought you captured him." I said, remembering they had him in the North.

"Well, things got really crazy and we ended up loosing him somewhere along the way."

I raised my eyebrows at that. How could you just loose someone? Especially if they are your enemy, wouldn't you want to keep your eye on them?

"Azula is definitely worse than Zuko." Sokka mentioned, getting back to the story. "I never said this out loud before, but I even started missing Zuko…" he shivered violently.

"Me too." They were quiet for a moment before Aang continued. "anyways, Sokka's schedule demanded that we go find an earthbending teacher, so we went to Omashu and found an old friend, but he couldn't teach me, he said I needed to 'find someone who waits and listens before striking'."

"I guess we found her." Sokka added.

Aang looked at Toph and smiled. "I guess we did..."

"I wish we could have found her sooner, we looked everywhere, but we found no masters." Sokka sighed and rubbed his neck tiredly.

"So what was Zuko doing during all of this?" I asked.

Aang shrugged and Sokka made a strange noise. "He was probably terrorizing villages or something."

I glanced at Zuko to see his reaction. To anyone else, he would have appeared stoic, but I knew differently. I've spent weeks arguing with him, I knew when something really got to him. And this one definitely did. "What were you doing?"

He looked at me with an off expression. "Terrorizing villages." He answered.

I could tell a lie when I heard one, but for this one I didn't even need to try. He was hiding something. Lots of something's, and I wanted to know every last one of them.

But why? I shouldn't care. I should hate him.

Most of the time I had known him we had been arguing, so why did I care? The whole time we had known each other, we've only had a few good days, but those days had been great. Was that why it was so hard to stay angry at him? Because of those days? Did those good days completely cancel out the weeks spent arguing?

Gods…why couldn't I stay mad at him for more than a day or two? Back home I had been known for my grudges, but why was he so different? He was like a puzzle I wanted to solve. A very annoying puzzle. I wasn't even mad at him for all that he did to Aang and Sokka, I hadn't even known them until today, so to me, the past is the past (unless it directly concerns me).

Could it be that I didn't have a reason to be angry at him? He was right; he couldn't have known that I knew of his past, his Nation. Would I have done the same if I was in his position? He had a brand new chance with me, a person who didn't even know what the Fire Nation was, would I have told if I were him? Probably not. I would have wanted a fresh start, a new chance.

"See?" Sokka shouted, rousing me from my thoughts. "The next time I saw him, he had followed his sister and he and his uncle helped us fight."

Lee flinched at the mention of his uncle, I added this to the growing list of things I wanted to know about him.

"After a while we ended up in Ba Sing Se, and saw that the Fire Nation was trying to break through the wall, so Aang uses his awesome Avatar magic and stops him, no thanks to me."

"You guys have the worst luck with things like that. Everywhere you go the Fire Nation shows up." I commented.

"Yeah we do."

"Then we had to practically fight our way to the Earth King and we wouldn't have even got to him if Aang hadn't have done this water-air bending move and kicked some serious butt, we never would have made it inside."

Apparently, the king hadn't even known of the war, he didn't even believe them until he saw the drill for himself. Once they got his support, they went on search for an earthbending teacher, but to no avail, they still couldn't find one suitable. They were about to leave again when Azula popped up out of nowhere again and had some Earth Kingdom soldiers called the Dai Li capture Sokka and throw him in some kind of cave thing with Zuko.

I'd like to point out that throwing Zuko and Sokka into a cave wasn't the smartest thing in the world, especially if you wanted them to be alive in the end. They had fought, of course, and Sokka had been injured.

"Actually," Zuko had cut in. "Sokka was the one trying to kill me; I barely lifted a finger towards him."

"But then why was Sokka so much worse for off when we finally found you?" Aang asked curiously.

Sokka blushed and when Zuko spoke, his voice sounded strained. "Well, Sokka had…" he choked out a small laugh. "He kind of hurt himself… I don't think I put one bruise on him, he just clumsy."

Aang looked away before Sokka could see his smile. "I had the help of Zuko's uncle, so we found them easily. But when we were trying to escape, Azula found us. Azula and Zuko joined forces and fought together, and we would have lost had Zuko's uncle not come along. We wouldn't have gotten away if it weren't for him."

When Aang turned quiet, Sokka continued. They had gone to the Fire Nation briefly and Sokka had taught himself 'the way of the sword', but soon returned to the Earth Kingdom in search for an earthbending teacher. I asked why, and they said that he had to learn the elements in their order since they fed off of each other, so they couldn't learn fire before earth.

"So that's everything until now." Aang had sighed and yawned.

When I looked up, I was surprised to see that it was actually very dark, and we had been talking for a very long time. I forced everyone to go to sleep, and eventually drifted off myself.

**o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o**

Zuko looked up when we entered camp, but glanced away quickly. I bit my lip and shook my head at him. I could really care less that he was the prince of the Fire Nation; really…it's just that he didn't tell me. I trusted him enough to tell him my secret, but he couldn't tell me his. I had done nothing that would make me undeserving of his trust. I was just bitter and hurt.

Appa's giant face popped up beside me and I stroked his fur. "What kind of food do you have around here?" I asked, already thinking of breakfast.

"Well, I don't eat meat, so we have plenty of vegetables."

"Great!" I smiled for the first time in almost a month I could have healthy food that wouldn't give me an early heart attack.

"Although we do have seal jerky if that sounds better to you, Sokka has been eating nothing else the entire trip." He mumbled with a note of disgust in his voice.

"We…" I commented.

"I eat other things…" Sokka muttered.

I glanced over to his sleeping bag and saw the lump that I guessed was him shift around and then go still again.

I rolled my eyes and stifled a laugh. "Who usually cooks?"

Aang pursed his lips. "Um…well, you see…" He glanced back at Sokka, frowned, and then back at me. "It's complicated. Sokka can only cook meat, and I have no idea how to cook at all. So he eats what he eats, and I just eat fruits and vegetables."

I sighed, it looks like I would have to become the chef for them too…but not this morning, and they could get themselves breakfast. I've been spoiling Toph and Zuko for the last few weeks, so they could do what they want.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Aang wander towards Momo's recovery tent. "Stop right there young man!" I shouted.

"B-but-" he stuttered.

I shook my head at him. "You are _not _to disturb him. He needs his rest."

Aang let out an annoyed sigh, but shuffled away.

I glanced at Toph's earth tent and knew that she would be awake, it was one of the downsides with being able to see with your feet, once one person is awake and moving around, it would wake you as well. If I knew teenage boys at all, Sokka would sleep until late afternoon if we let him, so I felt no sympathy at all when I strode over and nudged him with my foot until he got out of his sleeping bag.

Toph emerged from her tent soon after, and everyone grabbed some food then sat down.

"So what are we going to do now?" I asked everyone.

"Well," Aang started, "now that I have an earthbending teacher, I need to learn. So that's what I'm going to do."

"And you need to teach me to waterbend." I added with a smile.

He smiled back at me and nodded excitedly. "Sounds good."

I looked to Sokka for his answer and he shrugged his shoulders. "I'll have to completely rework the schedule now."

It took effort to hide my laugh, but I was able to do it. I really didn't know what _I'd _do now; I thought would be out of here by now. What am I supposed to do, just hang around until they decide I've been here long enough? I still had no idea what the whole point of my being here was, am I supposed to be part of a bigger picture? Am I supposed to stay till the end? What If I'm stuck here forever? That wouldn't happen…right? No, they told me they'd send me back, didn't they? I replayed the conversation I had with them in the forest, but I couldn't remember them saying anything about sending me back. They had to though. Wouldn't it screw everything up if I stayed here? Wouldn't it screw my world up? The space-time continuum?

Come on Kat, I thought to myself, you were never very important in the grand scheme of things.

I bit my lip nervously and thought back to the time spent in my world. I had been in an orphanage for years until I was finally adopted when I was five, and I went to a nice family who loved me (at least that's what Lisa had told me). They hit some huge financial problems and had to send me back to the orphanage. I was adopted again when I was eight, and then they died when I was 12. After that I was too old for an orphanage so I was sent to a foster home. I was so angry at the world that I was rebelling against the rules and getting into trouble until they sent me to another home, with Lisa. She had been so nice to me that I couldn't be mean to her, I couldn't be angry at anything she did or said.

"Katara." Sokka called.

My head shot up and my eyes landed on Sokka. "What?"

"Did you hear one word I said?" he asked.

I glanced around for a little help from Aang or Toph, but they were already gone.

"Oh never mind." Sokka huffed and folded his arms stubbornly. Not long after, a glare formed on his face.

I followed his glaze and saw that it was planted on Zuko. He was sitting under a shady tree sharpening his sword on a flat rock. I watched him for a moment while he meticulously scraped his blade along the stone, using the same angle and speed every time. He looked pretty calm, which wasn't surprising. I bet he thought he would be dealing with constant fights and arguments every second of the day, he probably thought Sokka would have killed him by now. I bet he _didn't _think he would be, for the most part, ignored. Toph still talked to him regularly, but Sokka never spoke one word to him since last night. Aang was amiable, and chatted with him every once in a while, but he was always quickly discouraged by Zuko's brooding face. Zuko had a way of subconsciously turning people away. I don't think he was even aware of it.

Sokka, well he just glared at him in silence. He never talked to him; never glanced his way except to glare, never even talked _about_ him. It was like he wasn't even there.

I really didn't know what to make of him anymore, with my anger gone, confusion was left in its place. I had so many questions about him I didn't know where to begin. I wanted to know his past; I wanted to know why he was after the Avatar for so long. I couldn't explain it…I just wanted to know everything.

What was wrong with me?

**o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o**

"No, you need to let it flow, like this." Aang demonstrated the move again. "Make sure you keep your wrists relaxed, don't keep them stiff."

"I nodded and tried again. I made an orb of water and brought it into an upwards arc that flowed backwards in a circle, letting it gain speed, and then transferring the control to my foot. I kicked out, and the water flowed smoothly and coasted in the air for a while until it crashed into the ground. I lifted my arms up in a cheer. It had taken me the longest get that one right. Whenever I tried to use my feet, my moves tended to be sharp and choppy opposed to smooth, so I had to try and try until I finally got it.

"Good job!" Aang came over and gave me a high five. "What else do you want to learn?"

I breathed deeply, trying to catch my breath. "Can we just head back?" I glanced at the sky between the leaves and sure enough, it was getting dark.

He followed my gaze. "Ok, we'll continue tomorrow, alright?"

I nodded, panting heavily. I would definitely have to work on my stamina.

"I have a second training session with Toph today…" he began. "I didn't quite get the hang of it yet, so…."

I reached down and untied my shirt, which had been tied mid stomach to allow for more movement. "Is she a good teacher?

He bit his lip. "She's…Pretty taste."

I laughed. "She sure is."

"My waterbending master would have loved you. His name was Pakku. He was always complaining about me since I tended to goof off." He rubbed the back of his head and chuckled. "But you…you learn fast and are really good."

I blushed at his compliment. "Thank you, that means a lot."

"Honestly, you'll be better than me in no time." He told me, a pink twinge to his cheeks.

We hadn't wandered far from camp, so we were back within minutes. Toph immediately got up and dragged Aang out of camp while Sokka looked up with humor.

I sat down on the hard ground and spaced out for a while, remembering home and the people I cared about.

"I'm going hunting." Sokka suddenly said, startling me out of my stupor.

"O-ok." I stuttered, but he was already gone, leaving me alone with Zuko.

I glanced up at him, but he was still sharpening his swords, probably not even noticing Sokka had left.

I cleared my throat to get his attention, but he seemed to be in a kind of trance. "Zuko." I called.

He glanced up in shock, and I didn't really blame him. I hadn't spoken to him all day, and he probably thought I would never do it again. After a second or two of just staring at me, he very awkwardly asked "Yes?"

"I have a question for you." I got up and made my way towards him.

"Sure, anything." He said as I sat down next to him. His eyebrows were still furrowed, but he was obviously making an effort to appear as inviting as possible.

Our relationship, if you could call it one, had been screwed up since the beginning. We constantly fought and argued, and if I could waterbend a little better I would have attacked him many times. The thing was, when we were civil towards each other, I actually enjoyed his company. Even when we fought, he had always been able to hold his own, and I respected that. Aren't all friendships built upon respect? I had always been drawn towards those who could challenge me, and he does just that. I would return to being his friend, but he had to make it up to me and earn my trust back.

And right now, I was giving him a chance; he had the option to tell me anything else I should know, anything that would make me mad at him again. "So…will you tell me something about you?"

His eyebrows twitched, but whether in hostility or concern, I couldn't tell. "What do you mean?"

"Well, you know a lot about me, but I know practically nothing about you." I prompted, but I was _not_ going to force anything from him.

"What do you want to know?" he asked nervously, still working on his blade.

"Whatever you'll tell me." I said with a shrug.

He was quiet for a while as he thought to himself, stroking his sword subconsciously. But I waited for him, and eventually he spoke. "Can I tell you about the Fire Nation?" he offered uncertainly.

Not exactly what I wanted, but a start. "Yeah."

He took a deep breath and stuttered out an awkward. "It's hot."

"Well, it_ is _called the Fire Nation." I said sarcastically. "I had gathered as much."

"It's very nice though. It's full of markets; you remember the one we visited? Well, Fire Nation markets are ten times better. We have better food too since the island is volcanic, plenty of fertile lands."

"What's the palace like?" I asked.

He paused to think. "It's been a while since I've been there…" a dark look passed over his face. "But it's huge and very red."

"What else?" I prompted.

"Um…I remember getting lost a lot when I was little." He said, his voice growing animated from emotion. "There were countless rooms and corridors, I used to think that we could house the whole Fire Nation and not even realize they were there. When I was a kid I would run away from the servants in charge of me and get lost. I'd even hide in the servant passage ways. It used to take them days to find me."

"That's evil. " I smiled.

"I was pretty rotten." He almost smiled fondly, but something stopped it in its tracks.

What was it about the palace that bothered him so much?

"Your parents must have been worried." I pointed out.

He gave a bitter smile. "They never knew."

I was quiet for a minute. "Is Azula your only sibling?"

"Yes."

"Has she always been so…aggressive?" I asked.

"Yeah."

Just then, Sokka came thundering into camp. I was about to ask him where his catch was, but the look on his face told me that he hadn't caught anything.

I gave Zuko a small smile and went back over to Sokka. "Want me to start on dinner?"

"Yeah." He grumbled.

**o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o**

I rubbed the goose pimples out of my arms and watched the camp. Dinner had been an interesting experience. Aang and Toph had come back tired, dirty, and ravenous. Aang ate all of the rice I had made, and Sokka and Toph ate all of the meat before Zuko and I even made it to our plates. We had to stick with fruits, not that I cared, and Zuko didn't seem mad about it either. Now the camp was littered with dishes and personal belongings. I made my way through the camp and cleaned it all without complaint because I knew no one else would do it.

I was late when I finished, so I was surprised to see that Sokka was still awake. He was staring at the moon sadly as he sat atop his sleeping bag.

I walked over to my sleeping area and stared at him for a moment. "So…you really _know_ that I'm your sister." I pointed out. "Don't you…"

"Well yeah, didn't you feel it too?" he asked, glancing over at me and pulling himself into a sitting position.

I thought to myself for a moment. I don't now if I felt he was my brother, but I definitely felt something connecting him to me. Be it a brotherly connection or a spiritual one, it was there and there was no denying it. I really should believe him, weirder things have happened to me. I _have_ traveled through worlds. How many people can say that? So this was nothing compared to what I've been through, why shouldn't I believe him? "I felt something." I admitted.

"Well I _know_." His blue eyes were piercing. "You look exactly like my mother did."

"Your mother?" my heart clenched automatically.

"When I was very little my mother was to give birth to a little girl, her name was to be Katara. The baby didn't make it, _you _didn't make it. My Gran Gran told me that I would see you again one day, and I've held on to that my whole life. I've always known you would come back, and now you're here." There was so much sincerity, so much conviction, so much raw belief in his voice that I knew he had to be right. He had to be. I had always believed in fate, so I knew that it was fated I be here, that I got a second chance to be his sister.

"What does she look like?" I asked.

"She was killed by Fire Nation soldiers when I was young, but she was beautiful, the nicest person you would ever meet." My heart went out to Sokka; his voice was choked with emotion at the mention of his mother- our mother- that his heart must still be raw with her memory. I didn't know what it was like to loose a parent because I never knew mine, but I knew it had to be the worse pain imaginable.

"Do you remember her much?" I asked.

"Not as much as I'd like to." He smiled at me and squirmed into his sleeping bag.

I grabbed my new fur-lined sleeping bag, compliments of Aang (he had volunteered to sleep on Appa's warm fur) and dragged it next to Sokka's.

"Do you want to hold the necklace for a while?"

He glanced over at me and stared for a minute before setting his head on his makeshift pillow. "No, I think seeing it on you is just fine."

I crawled into my sleeping bag's warm embrace and stared up at the starry sky. "Can you tell me about your tribe?"

"What do you want to know?" he asked.

I snuggled further into the sleeping bag and smiled. "Everything."

It took a few moments for Sokka to begin, but once he did, I was captivated. Stories of a winter wonderland full of strange animals swirled through my head. Seal hunts, war parties, raids, they all sounded so fascinating. I wanted to be there. I wanted to experience it all. The idea of a community where everyone has a job and no one is left out sounded amazing to me. Everyone took care of each other, and no one was in want. As 'futuristic' as my world was compared to theirs, there were still hundreds and thousands out of work and thousands living on the street. A lowly water tribe was able to accomplish what my world spent countless dollars to try.

My dreams that night were full of hunts and snow, and I can honestly say that I couldn't have asked for a better dream.

**o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o

* * *

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**pk, so my sister asked me why Zuko was forgiven so quickly. In my opinion, this was only his first transgression, this is like Katara forgiving him in the cave with barely a second thought. But man, if Zuko screws up again...RIP Zuko.**

**The next one will be here in a little over week, I've already written a few pages of it.**

**Review!**


	10. Agression

**This chapter is ubeta'd, so I apologize in advance for any mistakes I didn't catch!!!**

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**o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o**

"How is our little patient doing?" I asked Aang with a smile.

Momo chirped from his bedridden position.

"He's feeling much better today. I think we could probably head out now." He answered.

"Yeah." I agreed. Momo had slept all thorough yesterday, which was expected considering the amount of blood he lost. We had been waiting for him to get better before we left so that that he wouldn't get stressed and then get even worse. Now we'd be able to put him on the saddle and head out before Azula and her little minions came after us again. I imagine she's getting out of that hole about now. "Let's get out of here as quickly as possible."

Aang picked Momo up gently and sat him on his shoulder since I had forbidden Aang from letting him fly for another whole day. "Can you get everyone? I need to get Appa ready."

"Ok, well hurry." I told him and exited Momo's recovery tent. Yet again, Sokka was the only one asleep. Had we not gone to bed at the same time, I would have guessed he'd been up all night. What was it with Sokka and his need for crazy amounts of sleep? I would chalk it all up to being a teenage boy, but Zuko wasn't that way, he really had no excuse. He was just lazy.

I walked over and gave him a push with my foot. "Wakey wakey."

He moaned and rolled over. "I don't wanna."

I rolled my eyes and pulled out my secret weapon: the Seal Jerky that I had pilfered from his bag. It only took Sokka seconds to realize that someone was dangling food in front of his face. His hand reached out and snatched it out before I could even blink. All I got was murmured thanks. With frustration on my side, I grabbed his arm, which had been lazily stretched out onto the dirt, and pulled as hard as I could. He didn't budge one bit. "Geeze, you're heavy."

"Its all muscle." He muttered, offended enough to answer even in his sleepy state.

I scoffed. "Sure. Now get up, we need to blow this Popsicle stand."

His head came out of his bed and stared at me. "What?"

I groaned. "Were heading out now, lets go."

He squinted at me once more, his brain still groggy, before his eyes suddenly shot open. "Crap! My schedule!" he burst out of his sleeping bag so fast that I could have sworn he went straight through it.

"Get Toph and the other one!" he yelled, franticly running through camp and picking his things up. I didn't know how he did it, but in the course of an hour or two, he was always able to scatter his things all around the campsite. He even had a few things in Momo's tent and I don't remember him going in there once.

"Zuko." I corrected as he slipped his boomerang in its halter.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah." He mumbled and ran out to Appa.

"C'mon Toph, I know you're awake." I warned her.

"I'll catch up with you guys!" she yelled back.

"C'mon Toph." I repeated. "You're going to have to fly sometime."

"That's what you think." I heard her say as she walked out of her earth tent and demolished it. "I don't think I can do it."

"What?" I yelled, acting shocked. "The great and powerful Toph is scared?"

She glared at me. "I didn't say that."

I shrugged. "Well, you might not have, but you still cant do it."

When her thrust her chin into the air, I knew my mockery was working. "You don't think I can do it?"

I failed to mention that she was, indeed, the one who said it. "Well…"

"Because I can." Her glare deepened. "Just watch me." She stomped out of the campsite, leaving me alone to clean.

In the back of my mind I knew all along that I would have to be the one to pick up the campsite and cover the fire pit, no one else ever did it, and they all managed to get away with it. But this would be the last time.

I heard Zuko walk into camp from whatever he does in the morning, and turned to him. "We're leaving, so if there's anything you need, get it now."

He wiped a thin layer of sweat off of his brow. "It's about time." He grumbled in his usual manner.

I nodded. "I know, but we had to wait for Momo."

He nodded back and without me even needing to ask, he came over and quickly (or quicker that I would have been able to) disassembled the recovery tent.

"Thank you…" I said.

He ignored my thanks and continued to clean.

I smiled privately to myself. I didn't know whether he was trying to get on my good side or if he just wanted to help, but it was great none the less. In half the time it would have taken me to do it alone, we were completely cleaned up and heading off towards Appa.

"I really _am_ sorry." He mumbled, looking straight ahead.

It didn't take a genius to tell what Zuko was talking about. "I know."

"You do?" he asked, surprised.

"Yeah, I've been thinking a lot about it, and I forgive you."

He let out a big breath of air as if he had been holding it in the whole time. "Thank Agni."

"But." I stressed. "No more secrets, ok? I want to trust you. What is friendship without trust?"

"Ok, sounds good." He agreed.

I held out my hand. "No more secrets?"

He gripped me hand and squeezed lightly. "No more secrets." He agreed and we shook on it.

**o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o**

"C'mon Toph, it isn't that bad." I said.

"Oh yeah…not that bad…" she laughed nervously. "Fun, fun, fun."

I held back my smile. "Just relax, don't be so tense."

"Tense? You think I'm tense?" her laugh borderlined on insanity. "Tense…Ha. I'm not tense; I'm the furthest thing from tense."

"Toph." I called firmly. "You said the word tense five times."

"No I didn't!" she snapped. Her death grip on the saddle tuned her hands white.

I swiped the air out of my face and sighed. "You don't need to worry Toph, you're completely safe. If you were to fall, gods forbid, Aang would save you."

"You have no idea how terrifying this is right now." She told me through clenched teeth, ignoring all of my reassurances.

Yeah, I didnt know how scared she was, but I could imagine. For me, not being able to see would be scary enough, but to fly on an animal that she had no clue to the appearance of? That would be hard. For all she knew, Appa could look like a complete monster. I took it upon myself and crawled over to Toph so that I was right next to her. "I'll tell you what…if you fall out, I'll jump after you."

"You promise?" she asked childishly.

I smirked. "I promise."

I glanced over in time to see Zuko trying to hold back his laughter. When he caught my eye, he shrugged as id to say 'what?'

I rolled my eyes and grabbed Toph's hand in reassurance.

"Hey guys!" Aang called over the roar of the wind. "There's a town coming up, but I don't want to stop until sundown. Ok?"

We all yelled back our yeses, even Appa groaned in answer.

**o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o**

"I am going to go wash my clothes. I'll be back." I called out; leaving the rest of the group to clean up after dinner (I had been serious when I said that they had to clean from now on).

"Good riddance!" Toph yelled, obviously over the fright she had experienced earlier.

I was about to give her a solid shove, when something stopped me dead in my tracks. "Oh my…Toph! You stink!"

Toph glanced up. "Why are you smelling me?"

"I can't help t, its like acid on my brain!" I shuddred. "It hurts."

She frowned and sniffed herself. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Come on, lets go." I grabbed her arm and pulled her to her feet.

"I am not getting in the water." She insisted, but allowed me to pull her along anyway (although it was probably only because it was either come with me or clean).

"We'll see about that." I murmured.

"Good luck!" Sokka called after me.

Within a few minutes, we reached our water source.

"Ok, take off your clothes and give them to me." I held out me hands and waited.

"Seriously?" she asked.

"Seriously." I confirmed.

She huffed and folded her arms stubbornly.

"Toph."

"Katara." She mocked.

"Take it off." I commanded.

She groaned in annoyance. "Fine!"

I reached down and began to untie my shoes, so I could wash myself too, but when I kicked them off and looked back up at Toph, I groaned. She was wearing some kind of wrappings that I wasn't familiar with. "Toph, what is that?"

"What?" her hands went to her forehead. "Do I have something on my face?"

"No, what are you wearing?"

"Oh…" she let out a relieved breath. "These are just my bindings. Why? Don't you have them too?"

I groaned again. "You guys have those instead of bras? Crap…does that mean I'll have to get some?"

"I don't know…probably." She let her hair out of her bun. "You'd probably be able to practice better in them."

I nodded and started taking off my own clothes. "I'll have to have Aang stop in the next town…"

She plopped onto the floor and stretched herself out in the dirt. I rolled my eyes at her and waded into the water. I had braced myself for the cold, but it did nothing to help. I glanced over at Toph again; she appeared to be making some kind of dirt angel. "Toph, I understand you aversion to the water, but can you at least splash yourself a bit?"

Toph stilled. "Will you leave me alone if I do?"

"Maybe." I hedged. "Can you wash your hair too?"

"Well, _mom_…I'm not going into the water."

"Come on." I flexed my toes in the tiny pebbles. "There is only a bunch or rocks down here, can't you just…I don't know, make it one big solid one?"

Toph snorted. "You say that like its easy."

"I'm sure that if anyone could do it, it'd be you."

"Damn straight." She yelled. She marched into the water, and at about the time she was waist deep, the determined expression on her face had completely disappeared. Toph plunged her arm into the water and I couldn't see what she was doing, but with a small grunt, the water around her shifted. "Now, I am _not_ moving from this spot, so don't even try."

I laughed and continued cleaning our clothes. When I was done, I tossed them onto the nearest rock. I took a deep breath and plunged under the water, when I popped back up, I used one of my socks like a sponge to scrub myself clean. I didn't like being so dirty, I was used to showering every night back at home, but here, I would be lucky if I could bathe once a week! We were always in a hurry, but now I could just sit back and relax until tomorrow. "Do we have soap?"

"I don't know." She answered.

I grunted in annoyance and dove into the water again so I could work on my long hair. "Do you guys have shampoo and conditioner?"

"Shampooza and Con-what-now?" she cupped her hands into the water and splashed it onto her face.

"Nevermind." I mumbled and trudged my way to the shore to collect my clothes. With a flourish, I pulled the water from my hair and body. With my hair already a wavy mess, I grabbed my hair tie and began pulling it into its usual ponytail. I stretched it to loop one more time, but just as I was about to finish, it snapped. I flinched as it hit my thumb and then cursed. "Damn, this was my only one."

"What happened?" Toph asked. "I can't see a thing from this water."

"I snapped my hair tie."

"What do you mean 'snapped'?"

"Oh, the ones we use are stretchy, and it just broke."

"Hm, that's why I just use a head band, no fuss."

I rolled my eyes and began putting my hair into one large braid at the base of my skull. "Yeah, I'll try that sometime." I used my broken tie to finish the braid off. "So what do you think of the guys?"

"Eh," Toph dipped under the water for only a second, then popped back up again. "They're alright. I liked it better when it was just the three of us."

"Well, I think they are nice." I pulled the water out of my clothes and began putting them on. "I'll miss them when I'm gone."

"If you leave." She answered.

I froze. "Don't say that." I turned to her. "I'll leave, I know it. I _can't_ stay. I'm not supposed to be here."

"The gods obviously don't agree." She began to make her way out of the water. "What if you _are_ supposed to be here?"

"Seriously Toph, drop it." I growled. I did _not _want to consider that option.

"Ok, ok." She walked over to the rock and picked up her clothes. Before she could mention the soggy state of them, I pulled the water from it.

I sat down under the shade of a tree and sighed. "Sorry."

I could see her smile as she ran her fingers through her wet and tangled black hair. "Whatever."

**o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o**

I stared off into the sunset; the sound of the waves was the only company I had. Flocks of seagulls flew in a v formation towards the descending orb of light and disappeared into the rays. I scooped up a handful of sand and let it slowly trickle through my fingers and back to join the beach.

This was a favorite dream of mine, one where I would just sit and relax, let the sounds of nature lull me into a state of bliss. I've repeated this dream to my friends before, and they told me how boring it sounded, but I loved it. It was just so peaceful, and whenever I woke up I would be completely rejuvenated.

I was always alone during this dream, so when I closed my eyes and relaxed, I was surprised to head the soft padding of feet on the sand.

I opened my eyes and saw the water spirits. I thought I remembered them so well from the first time I saw them, but my memory was shattered as I looked at them again. The beauty of the two was extraordinary.

"Oh, thank the gods…" I nearly cried out.

The woman smiled sweetly while the man showed no emotion. Now that I continued to look at him, I could see that he looked a lot nicer than when he first appeared to me. Maybe it was because I wasn't as scared this time and I knew they weren't trying to kill me. He still looked very cross, but his expression wasn't as severe.

"I was wondering when I'd see you two again." I gushed happily, now I'd be able to go home and take a nice hot soak. I had been gone for more than a month; everyone probably thought I was dead by now. That is if time ran the same for both worlds. I could very well come back and find out that as much as a year had past, I could even appear at the same time I left. Either way, I hoped they would be happy to see me again, I had been through a lot already. I doubt they would believe any of it, but I'm telling them everything anyways.

"Katara, we are not here for the reasons you think we are." Her melodic voice was like a stab to my heart.

My smile stayed in place, but now I wanted to vomit. "What do you mean?" I saw the mans eye twitch and immediately added a "Ma'Am." at the end.

"We need you to stay."

"Stay?!" I shrieked.

"Not permanently." The man growled.

I closed my eyes and began counting until my breathing calmed. "So I will go home…eventually."

"Yes." She answered.

I let out a deep breath. "Good. Can I ask when?"

"We cannot tell you that."

"Then why are you here?" I demanded, suddenly furious. I wanted to go home, I was ready, but now my hopes were dashed.

"You would do well not to anger the spirits." He spoke calmly, but there was no mistaking the dangerous edge to his voice.

I began counting again. "I'm sorry."

The woman sighed. "The reason we are here, is to tell you that you need to teach the avatar waterbending."

"Teach him waterbending?" I questioned. "I barely know how myself."

"Katara, you know much more than you think, and you will learn."

"Why do I need to teach him? He's already had a master." I questioned.

The man answered me, a scowl on his face. "The Avatar is-" the woman silenced him with one look, but by the tone of his voice, I could tell that what he was going to say wasn't very polite. "He will learn more from you than from any master."

"What do you mean?"

"We cannot tell you."

For the millionth time, I counted to ten in my head. With these people, loosing my temper would be the last thing I wanted to do. "So you want me to teach him?"

"Yes we do."

I rubbed my face tiredly. "I have to do this, don't I?"

"Yes." The man ground out, he was definitely annoyed at me, but I had a feeling he was like this to everyone.

"Katara, you already know things the Avatar does not."

I exhaled slowly. "But you can't tell me what that is, cant you?"

She smiled. "Remember to use your friends, they are invaluable."

"Use them for what?"

"Learn from them, love them."

I nodded to her, but I was still as confused as ever.

"Alone you have very little knowledge, but together, you'll know everything."

I looked down at my bare feet and buried them in the sand. "So after I teach him waterbending, I can go back to my world?"

She smiled. "Goodbye Katara, we must leave you now." Her shimmering hand reached out to grab her partners and they were gone, leaving only a wisp of smoke behind.

I sighed and flopped back into the sand. "Could they be more cryptic?" I said aloud.

**o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o**

"Is Katara alright?" I heard Sokka ask from his place on the saddle.

I groaned. "Shut up."

"Wow, someone's testy today…" Toph mocked.

I rolled my eyes and held back the urge to stick out my tongue at her. "I'm tired." After that dream, I had woken up and hadn't been able to return to sleep again. My mind had just been reeling with thought. How could they have said so much, but yet so little? All I knew was that I needed to teach the Avatar waterbending. That was it. I didn't know when I could go home, I didn't know at all what they meant by using my friends, and what was all that about me knowing more than the Avatar? He's the _Avatar. _He should know everything about anything.

Use my friends…what was that all about? I was already using them. I've already learned so much from Toph alone, she's taught me all about this world. I've learned how to waterbend from Aang. What could Zuko and Sokka teach me?

I had figured that I'd be able to catch some sleep on the saddle, but it was hardly comfortable or spacious. Every time I was about to drift off, someone would shift and bump into me causing me to jerk awake. I really didn't have it in me to tell everyone on the saddle to freeze and not move for the rest of the ride, but that didn't make me any less uncomfortable.

I groaned and sat straight up, a sour look on my face. "This sucks."

"Why didn't you sleep last night?"

"I had a bad dream." I lied.

"Just go to sleep now then!"

"I can't!"

Sokka threw his hands up in the air. "It's easy! Just lie down and close your eyes!"

I gave him a look that had Zuko chuckling. "Yeah, well you could sleep through an earthquake."

"Here, I'll move." Zuko said and scooted as close to Toph as possible, so that I had just enough room to lie down next to him.

"Thank you!" I gushed and crawled across the saddle and plopped into the empty space.

I knew I would be able to catch a little bit of sleep next to Zuko, he didn't fidget nearly as much as Sokka, and I was pretty sure he'd be more considerate too. Within a minute or two, I was out. Dead to the world.

It wasn't more than an hour or two after I passed out, before I woke back up to the sound of Zuko and Sokka arguing.

"We don't have the time for that!" Sokka yelled.

"Says who?" Zuko asked back equally as loud.

"Me!" He screamed.

"Oh, well, let's do what you say, because you're Sokka! Sokka knows best!" Zuko's voice took on a nasty edge to it.

Sokka made a strangled noise of exasperation. "Ok and Zuko knows more than me?"

Zuko looked at Sokka in wide eyed incredulity. "Well, maybe _Zuko_ does know more than _Sokka._"

"Well, Sokka thinks that Zuko doesn't know anything and needs to shut up!"

Aang yelled from his place at Appa's head. "Come on guys, stop arguing."

"Well, Zuko knows more because Azula is Zuko's sister!" He yelled at Sokka.

Sokka threw his arms up. "Well Azula has been chasing _Sokka_ for the last month!"

"But Zuko has lived in the same house with Azula for fourteen years!"

I could hear Toph groan in annoyance. "Toph thinks this is stupid and you both need to shut up, Katara's awake now."

I sighed and sat up. "It's ok."

Sokka turned to me. "Sorry Katara, but Sokka thinks that Zuko is stupid."

"Why are you still referring to yourself in the third person?" I asked and rubbed the sleep out of my eye.

"Because Sokka doesn't know when to quit." Zuko muttered.

"Ok! That is it!" Aang looked about ready to lunge at Zuko. "Aang, land now!"

Aang stuttered. "But I-"

"NOW!" Sokka yelled angrily.

Aang looked at me for reassurance, but I shrugged, I had no idea what was going on, but I needed to find out. "Land." I told Aang. I didn't want there to be a fight, but if there had to be one, I'd rather it take place on solid ground.

Aang furrowed his brows, but did as he was told.

As soon as we set foot on the ground, Sokka went for his sword. "The entire time you've been here, I've been holding back…but not anymore."

"Sokka, come on…" I yelled.

Aang remained on Appa's head. "I don't think…"

"What the hell happened?" I asked Toph.

"Zuko suggested we stop in town for a night and Sokka practically exploded."

"Exploded?" I questioned.

"Yeah." Toph sighed. "We should have seen it coming. They've been overdue for a fight."

My mouth was agape. "And all this started when Zuko Suggested we, what…stay in a hotel?"

Toph smacked her lips. "Pretty much."

"What?" I asked. "That's it!"

"Yeah, I know."

"This is pathetic!"

"Yeah, and Sokka's going to regret it."

With his sword finally in hand, he charged at Zuko.

In less than a second, Zuko pulled his swords from its sheath and parried his blow. With a sidestep, he caught Sokka's sword on his own and led it to the side, letting it hit the ground harmlessly.

"This is stupid." Toph muttered and sat down.

With determination, Sokka swung his sword at his opponent. Although he wasn't nearly as graceful as Zuko, his intent was still clear.

He wanted to hurt Zuko.

I was torn between stopping the fight and letting it play out. On one hand, someone could get seriously hurt. But on the other hand, if they didn't get it out of their system now, it would be ten times worse later on. I could heal them, I was confident in that (as long as someone didn't get an arm chopped off), but even so, there was no guarantee that letting them fight wouldn't just make it worse.

Sokka jabbed his sword at Zuko, but he jumped out of the way just in time. Sokka's desperation seemed to grow. He was frustrated and tired, and every time he tried to hit Zuko, he seemed to slip just out of his grasp. With a yell, he leapt at him, catching him by surprise.

I groaned and covered my eyes so I didn't have to watch.

After the sound of a brief struggle, everything went silent.

My eyes snapped open in surprise only to find Zuko holding Sokka in a choke hold.

"Let him go!" I yelled.

Zuko released him and Sokka scrambled away.

I breathed a sigh of relief, but just as I thought they were done, Sokka lunged towards him again, landing a blow on Zuko's jaw.

"Sokka!" I yelled in frustration. "Seriously, this is stupid!"

Zuko rolled out of the punch and leapt to his feet.

Sokka ran at him, shoulders back and head down, going in for a low tackle. It didn't take a physic to know what would happen next. As if Sokka had been going in slow motion, Zuko grabbed him by the jaw, pulled him up and took a swipe at his legs, sending him straight onto his backside.

I cringed at the sound of the impact, but made no move to stop them. I'd be there to sew them back together in the end, that's all that mattered. I was just thankful they stopped using their swords.

Sokka kicked out hard at Zuko's legs and miraculously landed a blow that sent him stumbling.

Zuko, up until now, had hardly been trying to hurt Sokka; he'd been blocking rather than attacking. I could tell by the expression on his face that it was about to change drastically. It was like that one kick had finally succeeded in releasing Zuko's anger. He was livid.

Sokka didn't stand a chance, and I honestly didn't want to watch.

Zuko swung his fist at Sokka's face.

Sokka was _not_ expecting that punch, and you could see it on his face. Or at least you could…before Zuko's punch connected to his jaw. Sokka flew backwards and groaned from his position in the dirt.

I sighed, finally thinking this fight was over, but just as I braced myself to stand, Sokka got to his feet.

His eyes were unfocused as he stumbled, but as soon as his eyes locked onto Zuko, he shot at him like a bullet.

I sighed and lay down flat on my back, no longer interested. They could beat each other into unconsciousness for all I cared. "Tell me when it's over, ok Toph?"

"This is getting good." Her voice was giddy with excitement.

I stared into the sky; the only noises were those of struggle and the occasional "Oh." or Ouch." From Toph.

We needed to leave soon, before Azula got to us again. There was no way to tell when that would be, but now that we had Aang…maybe we could get rid of her for good. Aang had fought her off more than once, according to Sokka, so maybe he could do it again.

The sound of fists hitting skin interrupted my thoughts and made me groan in annoyance.

The only chance we had to get rid of Azula was to first get rid of her minions. She sent Ty Lee and Mai out first, which meant that they were expendable. She didn't really care whether they got hurt or not, they were only valuable in tiring us out before she set to work. Without Mai or Ty Lee, we stood a chance. Four against three skilled fighters, each with a different talent, sounded like a long shot. But four against one?

Suddenly, all went quiet. "Um…" Toph let out a laugh. "I think they're done."

I glanced up, and what met my eyes made me want to laugh…or cringe. Sokka was on the floor, sprawled out flat in the dirt with it smeared all over his face. Zuko was sitting a foot or so away, his chest heaving, arms smeared with earth.

"Oh gods…" Sokka groaned loudly and rolled over with a hacking cough.

I stood up and brushed myself off. "Are you done?"

Zuko stood up and walked away, his head held high in triumph.

Sokka groaned again and sat up. Now I could see the full extent of his injuries. A small line of blood flowed down his arm from a small puncture that was caused be their little wrestling match. His jaw was already a deep purple and there were several red marks all up and down his arms that I was sure would turn into bruises. Although he looked bad, I bet he was ten times worse under that shirt he was wearing. He looked about ready to puke.

I sighed and walked over to Sokka. "Would you like to tell me what the hell happened?"

"I-" He groaned and rubbed at his red forehead. "Well, he was being stupid!" he gestured towards Zuko who was climbing onto Appa's back.

"Toph told me it was because he wanted to stop for the night."

"Yeah! That is stupid!"

"Ok Sokka, whatever you say." I got up and joined Zuko and Toph on the saddle. No matter what Sokka said, this fight wasn't about Zuko wanting to stop for the night, it was about something else…and I could take a guess as to what that was. I knew that this was just some testosterone and anger driven fight fest, but that didn't mean I had to like it. Now, hopefully, it was out of his system.

"If he's not back on the saddle in two minutes, we're leaving without him." Toph yelled from her place on the saddle.

"We can't leave him." Aang said.

"Yes we can." Toph remarked.

Aang shook his head and got off of Appa's head so he could help Sokka to his feet. After a minute of struggling with supporting Sokka's weight, he slowly helped Sokka limp over to Appa. With extra care, he sent Sokka onto the saddle with a gentle updraft.

"You're an idiot." I whispered and crawled next to Sokka as Appa lifted up into the air.

"I feel like I got ran over by a carriage." Sokka moaned and leaned back.

"Yeah, good." I pulled water out of my skin and started healing his arms. I could see exactly where Zuko's fingers had grabbed him, and just where he rolled over a rock or two. I moved onto his face and healed the bruise on his jaw and the one that was beginning to form on his temple.

"I love having a healer for a sister." He moaned in bliss.

"Yeah well…if this happens again, I'm not healing you." I grumbled. "Now take off your shirt."

"Oh gods…" he moaned as he pulled his shirt over his head. "My muscles are killing me."

"Oh gods Zuko…" I whispered and turned to him. "What did you do to him?"

Zuko furrowed his forehead in frustration. "Hey, he was the one who attacked me."

"I know, but damn…" I muttered and placed a hand on Sokka's ribs and used the blood inside of him as an extension of my sight. Thankfully, his ribs were unbroken and solid, bruised as hell, but unbroken.

"How the hell did this one happen?" I asked Sokka and pointed to an entire handprint shaped bruise on his chest.

He looked down at it and cringed. "I don't know, the whole fight is kind of fuzzy…"

I finished with Sokka and crawled over to Zuko. "Ok, what's your damage?"

"I'm fine." He said with a frown.

"I know he got you a few times, let me see."

"I'm fine."

"Come on…show me."

"Agni, I'm fine, leave it alone."

"Stop being stubborn!"

"I'm being stubborn?!" he yelled. "You're the one who insists I'm injured when nothings wrong with me."

"Fine." I folded my arms across my chest. "Whatever it is, I hope it gets infected."

"What?" Zuko asked, slightly offended and very annoyed.

"You heard me." I almost stuck my tongue out, but checked myself at the last minute. "Infection."

He threw his hands into the air. "Gods above, you talk so much."

"You're the one who needs to shut up." I muttered.

"Oh yeah, 'Miss. I always need to have the last word', I'm the one who needs to be quiet…"

"Jerk."

"Oh, name calling now?" Zuko yelled.

I leaned in so that I was inches from his face. I was so close that he froze for a second. "Idiot." I whispered with a smile.

"Excuse me?" he yelled, getting closer.

"Ass."

"Dolt."

I stared at him wide eyed. "Hey, that's my insult!"

"Snob!" he yelled.

Toph groaned and covered her ears. "And I thought Sokka's fight was pointless."

Aang continued to fly the bison, oblivious to the conversation happening behind him due to the roar of the wind.

**o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o

* * *

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**Oh fighting, sweet sweet fighting. Thats the Zutara I know and love!**

**So, the next time I can update will be after Christmas (I have to work on my friends story which is actually her present), but I should get it out in two weeks anyway, three max.**

**Review please! (You too lurkers)  
**


	11. The Fall

**I would have had this up sooner, but I went on a little Vacation and couldn't finish until I got back. Hope you enjoy!!!**

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**o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o**

"Go easy on me… Remember, I'm a beginner." I smirked at Aang and got into a bending stance.

Aang did the same. "Ready?"

I nodded and watched him for the slightest movement, a twitch of the muscle or a shift of posture. Suddenly, I saw it… His right arm made the smallest of a tic.

Just as he moved to lash out at me, I brought up a wall of water.

I heard the thud of his attack making contact with my wall, and before he could attack again, I froze the wall and punched into the ice, sending broken fragments flying at Aang.

He avoided them without a problem and sent a water whip my way. I ducked and dodged the whip and sent one of my own but he was able to dodge it just in time.

I groaned in annoyance, the Avatar never stood still long enough for me to attack him (not that I really expected him too). I used all of my strength to pull a wave of water as high as I could and sent it crashing towards him.

Aang, true to his style, jumped into the air and easily avoided the wave. He pulled the water back to him and sent it flying back towards me in the form of deadly icicles. Without even wasting time to think, I used all of my strength and concentration to push the icicles, which were still flying at great speed, slightly off course so that they landed next to me and shattered harmlessly in the dirt.

"Great reflexes!" Aang yelled.

I smiled in triumph and continued my assault.

I grabbed as much water as I could and covered the ground completely with it, letting the thirsty soil soak it all up. If all went as planned, Aang wouldn't know what hit him.

Aang gave me a strange look, but continued attacking. He sent torrent after torrent of water at me, and I blocked them all. I sent balls of ice his way, and he twisted and ducked to ensure he wouldn't get hit, but he couldn't block them all. One of my concentrated ice balls caught him in the shoulder and sent him crashing to the ground.

My heart began pumping at the strain of the move I began to perform. I closed my eyes and brought the water back up. The ground shook in protest as the water rose from beneath, reluctant to surrender the liquid, but I prevailed.

The water burst from the ground like Old Faithful and covered Aang completely. Before he had the time to get up, I froze the water and sealed him inside an icy tomb.

For several seconds, Aang didn't move. I dropped my stance, worried. Should I help him? Was he, the all powerful Avatar, trapped and unable to break free?

But, in answer to my inner turmoil, the ice exploded. The shockwave sent me flying back and into a bush.

I hissed in pain as my back made contact with a rock.

I rolled over just in time to avoid a wave of water that was aimed towards me. I hopped up and hurled a whip at him with all of my strength, and he danced out of the way.

"Ok, ok!" Aang yelled, his chest heaving. "Let's quit, I'm tired."

I plopped onto the ground in exhaustion. "Thank you."

"You are really good." He arched his back in stretch. "That ice thing…I might have to use that."

"Thanks. But I haven't beaten you yet."

"Well, you've only been training a week, I've trained months…" He got up and grabbed his ankles in another stretch.

My mind went back to what the spirits told me a few days ago. They said I was meant to teach Aang, which meant that I would have to be better than him. Does that mean that I would have to learn faster than I thought? I was already getting better by the day, quicker than I ever thought possible.

"Hm…" the Avatar continued, resting his chin on his hand. "Maybe you should go talk to Zuko."

"Zuko?" I questioned.

"Yeah. I can't teach you anything else; this is all I know, but Zuko's a firebender. Maybe sparring with him…" Aang let his sentence hang. "There's only so much you can teach to someone, the rest has to come from experience and your heart."

'_Learn from them.'_ Was this my chance to learn something from Zuko? The spirits said that my friends were invaluable, and I'm sure Zuko could teach me… But would he agree to it? I had never actually seen him firebend, was he any good? "You think he'd help?

"Yeah, I'm sure he would." He chirped.

"Okay, I'll talk to him when we get back to camp." I told him. "Now let's go… I'm starving.

He chucked and joined me as I walked back to the campsite. "Me too."

"Good fight today." I put my arm around his shoulders and squeezed. He was the perfect height for me to rest on, so I was in no hurry to move.

But he didn't seem to mind me invading his space, because he replied with a shy. "Yeah, good fight."

I gave him another friendly squeeze and continued into camp.

**o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o**

"Okay, we really need to stop at the next town, we're running out of supplies." I yelled up to Aang.

Zuko had enough tact not to mention he had suggested the same thing a few days ago, but only to a different reaction.

Speaking of Zuko and Sokka, I was completely flabbergasted by what I was seeing. They still didn't talk, but there was no more glaring… Had letting Zuko beat the crap out of him actually helped like I had hoped? Did he get it out of his system? I hadn't expected them to become the best of friends after that fight, but still, things were a lot better now.

But the strange part wasn't even the lack of a glare… The strangest thing was that for the last few days, Sokka had been up before I had. The first time I thought he was sick and insisted on healing him, but when it happened a second time I thought I was going to have a heart attack. The third morning, Sokka had to wake _me _up.

Not that I'm complaining or anything, its actually nice not having to dangle food in front of his face every time I want him out of bed. Maybe he figured out that if he wanted to stay on schedule, he actually had to get up on time.

But like I said… I'm not complaining.

Sokka opened his mouth, but I cut him off. "No Sokka, I'm not eating the seal jerky."

"I agree… Appa is tired!" Aang yelled back over the scream of the wind. "I'll stop at the next town I see."

I smiled and hunkered down for a long ride; the next town could be hours away. Hopefully, it would be a big one and have plenty of shops since I still had to purchase some of those bindings Toph had. If I was lucky, they'd even have a spa. I would kill for a decent manicure.

Suddenly, I remembered my question for Zuko. "Hey, Zuko!" I half-yelled so my voice could carry across the saddle.

He glanced my way and threw me a questioning glance.

"I kind of…" I bit my lip and crawled over to him so I didn't have to yell anymore. "I want to know if you can help me train."

"What, you mean sparring practice?" he asked.

"Sure." I gave him a pleading look.

"I guess I can." He nodded and sighed. "We'll have to convince Sokka to let us camp a little earlier.

"Yeah, we're pushing it already, what with all of Aang's lessons." I chewed on my bottom lip in thought. "Too bad Sokka is so paranoid about Azula he'll probably say no."

Zuko let out a sigh. "I know… But I don't think we have to worry about her for a while."

"What do you mean? She's probably close!"

"Well, if you look at it through her eyes…" He paused and chose his words carefully. "You have to realize, until now, Sokka was Aang's only traveling companion, and he only knew how to bend water and air. Now… He has an earthbender and a firebender with him. She's probably in the Fire Nation right now telling the Fire Lord."

"Tell Sokka that."

He gave me a strange look. "Maybe later."

"I'll tell him then, it will probably help our cause."

"Yeah, but he'll still want to stay on schedule."

"Maybe if we bribe him…" I suggested.

"With what, more food?"

"I don't know…something."

"Get him a new knife, and he'll probably do anything." He muttered.

I laughed. "Yeah, good luck. Maybe we'll find one lying around camp somewhere."

"Yeah." He rubbed at his overgrown hair. "Right."

"A knife…" I mumbled. "Where are we going to get one of these?"

"I was kidding about the knife." Zuko pointed out.

"What other options do we have?" I answered.

"I don't know, could we maybe - and this might be a long shot - just ask him to start camping early?" he asked in a monotone.

"Ha, ha, ha, very funny." I rolled my eyes at him. "I think something sharp and shiny is our best bet."

"Sharp and shiny… Got it." He leaned back into the saddle and closed his eyes.

I had the feeling he wasn't paying attention anymore. "Sharp… shiny… sharp and shiny." I repeated to myself.

Suddenly, it came to me. "Zuko!" I slapped his knee a few times to get his attention.

He snapped to attention and glared at me. "What?"

"I got it! I have something sharp _and_ shiny!" I yelled.

"You're so loud!" Toph yelled her face pale from fright.

"Sorry…" I grumbled and turned back to Zuko. "She gets a little testy when we fly."

"Back to the point, please."

"Okay, okay… I've had this thing the whole time; I've just never had the chance to show it off."

"What is it?"

I smiled and reached into the secret pocket I had sewn into my tunic. "This!" I yelled and whipped out my pocket knife.

"What is it?" Zuko's only eyebrow rose in confusion.

I held it reverently in my hands and moved in front of him so that I was a hair away from touching him. "It's a utility knife."

"Utility knife?

"Yeah." I pulled the blade out of its frame.

"We have knives like that in the Fire Nation." He didn't sound impressed at all.

"Okay, Mr. The-Fire-Nation-Has-Everything... Its not only a knife." I rolled my eyes at him and pulled out more of the attachments, listing them off as I did, "Scissors, pliers, cork opening thingy, bottle opener, screwdriver, whatever this thing is, and look… Tweezers!"

"Tweezers?" Zuko asked, hiding his laugh.

"What? Those do come in handy!" I yelled, offended with him finding humor in my tweezers.

"Oh, I'm sure." He nodded his head absently.

"Well?" I asked, exasperated.

"'Well' what?" he grumbled.

"Will he like it?"

"Yeah… I think so."

I smiled widely. "Great!"

He stared at me for a long minute, his eyes so intense that I had to look away. I didn't know what he was trying to do, looking at me like that, but it gave me the goosebumps.

With a slight blush on my face, I crawled over to Sokka's sleeping form, "Hey!" I shouted and flicked his ear. "I have a question for you."

"What?" he yelled back in frustration.

"Can we start camping a little earlier from now on?"

Sokka began to laugh. "That's funny, land earlier? HA! Thank you… I needed that." He closed his eyes and began drifting back to sleep.

"Really, Sokka, I'm serious." I rolled my eyes at him, but smiled anyways.

Sokka's smile fell. "Do you think we have time for that? We don't."

I grunted in annoyance. "Well… How am I supposed to know? I have no idea where were going! I just get on the bison and let you fly us around!"

Sokka rolled his shoulders, a habit he repeats when he gets annoyed. "Aang and I decided it would be best to go to the Air Temple., so we're headed there."

"Why the Air Temple?"

Sokka smiled knowingly. "Well, it seemed like-"

"Shut up!" Zuko shouted. He got to his knees, and I could see the slight movement in his nose as he sniffed the air.

I placed my hand on his arm. "What is it?"

He looked down at me as if in surprise. "Don't you smell that?"

I sniffed the air, but smelled nothing. "No… Nothing. What is it?"

"What's up with him?" Sokka asked with a grunt.

Zuko leaned over the saddle and began searching the land below. "It smells like-

Suddenly, the bison began a steep dive, one so steep even Toph began to scream, and Zuko (who was already leaning half out the saddle) lost his balance and started falling over the edge.

I didn't think about it, I didn't have time too… When I saw Zuko fall, I reached after him, grabbing his legs as he tumbled out of the saddle. I tried to brace myself but my feet had nothing to grab onto, so I, too, began to fall.

I only had a second to scream before I heard a shout and felt strong hands grab onto me.

My eyes, which had been clenched shut in fright, popped open. The first thing I saw was Zuko hanging upside down, only me stopping him from falling. I was hanging over the saddle, the only thing to keep me from plummeting to my death were the strong hands holding my ankles in a death grip.

"Sokka!" I screamed up at him.

"I got you, Katara!" he yelled back, strain clean in his voice.

I closed my eyes and held onto Zuko tighter. "Zuko!"

Zuko was absolutely quiet.

My heart began pumping at lightening speed. I craned my neck back and met his shocked, disbelieving stare. "Are you okay?!" I yelled over the roar of the wind and the yelling taking place atop the saddle.

Zuko said nothing, but I could see him close his eyes in relief… It was almost as if he didn't expect anyone to go after him the way I had, like he knew he was going to die.

I squeezed him as hard as I could, looking him straight into the eye, letting him know that I wouldn't let him go. I would _never_ let go. I don't know how long we stayed like that, staring into each others eyes, my chin resting on his surprisingly hard stomach, (but I couldn't think of that now, our lives were in danger) but it didn't matter.

Eventually, the ground began growing dangerously close, so close that if I didn't do something fast Zuko might get trampled as Appa landed.

I let go with one hand and reached out for Zuko, hoping he would know what to do, and he didn't let me down. He reached out to me and grabbed my forearm in a tight grip. I mouthed a countdown and as soon as I hit one, I let go with my other arm and swung it around so he could grab onto it as well. At the same time, Zuko wrapped his legs around me so he would swing right side up and snap my wrists.

Sokka's nails dig into my calves, and my ankles burned from the rope he had used to tie me to a handhold of the saddle.

"Ready?" I yelled.

"Yeah!" he yelled, talking for the first time in the whole ordeal.

"Pull!" I screamed, giving us no room for hesitation, we were out of time and the ground was fast approaching.

Zuko and I both pulled at the same time, hoisting him up so that we could be at the same level.

Sokka moaned at the strain, and my ankles screamed in protest, but I smiled anyway. There was no chance of Zuko slipping now that he had his arms locked around my waist.

I was so preoccupied with my own relief that there was no warning before Appa landed. As soon as the bison's feet made contact with the ground, we were jerked around and smacked into Appa's side.

It was completely silent for a second before I heard the thump of a body landing next to me and felt hands that I knew to me Sokka's grab me.

"Sokka." I called firmly. "Get Zuko first, I'm still attached to the saddle."

Sokka let go of me and ran around so that he was behind Zuko. Slowly, Zuko slid down and was able to, with Sokka's help, flip right side up again.

Right about now, my head was killing me from being upside down for so long, and I was beginning to feel very dizzy. "Now get me down!"

"Katara!" Aang yelled and ran up to me. "Are you okay? I'm so sorry, I just-"

"Not now, Aang!" I yelled in annoyance.

"But-"

"Shut up and help her down!" Zuko yelled at Aang.

I reached out and grabbed Sokka's hands. He yelled up to Toph, who had replaced Sokka in holding my legs. "Okay, now slowly untie her feet and let her down! _Slowly_!"

As soon as the ropes loosened and the blood rushed back into my feet, I couldn't hold back my scream of agony. It felt like I just stepped onto a bed of hot coals. The second they placed me on the ground, I rudely demanded a bucket of water, and both Sokka and Aang ran to comply.

Beside me, Zuko was mumbling incoherently.

"Zuko," I said calmly, or as calmly as I could with the amount of pain I was going through.

As soon as he turned to look at me I slapped him as hard as I could across the face. The resounding smack was so loud that I felt it myself. "Don't you ever, _ever_, do that again or so help me, I will murder you!"

His hand reached up to touch his red cheek, then, without thinking about it (for if I had, I probably wouldn't have done it), I dove over to him and gave him a huge hug.

"I'm sorry." He whispered into my neck, his warm breath ghosting across my skin. "But thank you…"

"We got the water!" Aang yelled from the trees, causing Zuko and I to pull apart. I don't know why we pulled apart, it _was_ just a hug… I hugged people all of the time. But this felt different... I felt that if they saw me hugging him, I would die of embarrassment.

"Well, hurry up!" I yelled back, hoping my cheeks would loose their blush by the time they got to me.

Sokka ran into camp and placed the bucket in front of me. "Here."

"I'm so sorry, Katara, but when I was flying I saw fire coming from the town and I wanted to help, so… I didn't even think, I just-"

"There's a town on fire!?" I yelled, forgetting about my feet.

"That's what I smelled, smoke. It smelled like burning crops." Zuko added.

"Well then what are you doing here?!" I asked. "Go help them!"

Aang frowned. "But you-"

"Katara, your feet-" Sokka began.

"No. Go." I insisted. "You too, Sokka and Toph."

"Katara, I can't just leave you-"

"Aang, you're the Avatar, save them. It's your job. I'm not as important as a whole town." I reminded him, hoping he'd just go. People were in danger and he was just standing here doing nothing.

"But-" Aang and Sokka began at the same time.

"Go now or I'm sure Toph will force you!" I threatened.

"You bet I will." Toph added.

Aang looked towards where a pillar of smoke was beginning to rise and then back at me.

"Go." I insisted.

"Ok…" aang looked at Zuko. "Take care of her."

Zuko nodded.

"Will you be okay?" Sokka asked.

"Yes." I insisted.

Finally, they took off, and I was alone with Zuko.

"Are you really okay?" he asked.

"Hell no, I'm not!" I cried out, not even bothering to hide it. "It feels like someone is peeling the skin off of my feet!"

"I don't even know how you did it…" He took on of my feet and peeled the shoe off of them.

"Yeah, me neither, I don't know how I held on for so long." I agreed. "Adrenaline, I guess."

I pulled back my feet and braced myself. "I don't really want to look at it."

Zuko nodded and began heating the bucket of water.

With a deep breath, I pulled back one of my socks and peeked at my ankle. I groaned at the sight that met my eyes, both my ankles were red and raw. I had to look away, if that was what my ankle looked like then I did _not_ to see my feet. They felt numb, and I was betting they were swollen and purple.

"Here, let me help you." Zuko spoke up.

I glanced at him. "No."

"Sokka told me-"

I rolled my eyes. "Since when did you listen to Sokka? And I'm not going to make you-"

Before I could finish, Zuko seized my feet and peeled off my socks.

"Oh, Agni…" he muttered, and I had to force myself to look. My ankles weren't the worse of it; my feet were in fact as purple and swollen as I could have guessed, maybe even more.

"Put my feet down." I begged with a red face.

"You talk too much." He remarked and then placed my feet in the warm water.

"Ahh." I sighed in relief. Without me needing to do anything, the water began glowing. "And I don't talk a lot."

He smirked and began rubbing my feet under water. "Way too much."

**o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o**

"I don't understand…" Zuko spoke slowly, unsurely.

"Well I don't know the mechanics of it all either, but this is what it looks like."

"It's so small…the ones we have don't look nothing like these, we only have war vehicles."

"These will get you anywhere, not only just for battle, but also for recreation."

"Cant you people just walk to your destination?" His eyebrow was sky high.

"Well...we could." I bit at my lip. "But we're a pretty lazy people."

"Cars… I'll have to see if we can produce some of these… When I get back to the palace, of course."

"And this one…" I shuffled through pieces of parchment until I found the one I wanted. "…is a computer."

"Computer." He repeated. "Such a strange word."

"It's amazing though, we can store so much information on them. You could probably put the whole palace library on one of these."

"I have a hard time-"

"Katara!" I looked up, and Sokka was running towards us. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine…" I took my feet out of the steaming bucket and pointed them in his direction. "See?"

"Oh good…" He sighed and doubled over in exhaustion. "I was so worried."

"Sokka, did you run all the way here?" I questioned.

"Maybe… But it wasn't very far."

Zuko leaned over and whispered in my ear. "Actually, it was a few miles."

"Where is everyone?" I asked, scanning the tree line for the rest of the gang.

In answer, I heard Appa groan and saw his large form through the large break in the treetops. As soon as Appa's giant paws touched the ground, Aang appeared in front of me in lightening speed. Before he could open his mouth, I beat him to it. "Yes, I'm fine."

"Great." He sighed out the word with feeling.

"How did you guys do? Did you kick some Fire Nation butt?" I asked.

"I wish." Toph rounded Appa and put her hands on her hips lazily. "They were Earth Kingdom soldiers."

"Earth Kingdom soldiers were attacking their own people?"

"Yeah." Aang answered me softly, soberly.

"Happens all of the time." Sokka added.

I glanced towards Toph, but she was too busy cleaning between her toes, so I craned my neck over Toph to see Zuko.

He had a strange look on his face, one that told me he was remembering, but what… I didn't know. I was brought back to when I found out that he lied to me about his name. He had promised no more secrets, would he tell me if I asked him?

I turned my body towards him and tapped his shoulder to get his attention. "Zuko, are you alright?"

He looked at me and shook his head. "I'm fine." His brows furrowed in annoyance, but whether he was truly annoyed or not, I couldn't tell.

"Are you hiding something from me?" I glanced towards the rest of the group to make sure no one was listening in (besides Toph, because I know she hears everything, but Zuko probably wouldn't mind if Toph knew). Aang and Sokka were digging through the saddle, pulling up (and eating from) bags of food I supposed the town gave them as a gift.

Zuko seemed to be checking the same thing, and when he was satisfied he leaned close and lowered his voice. "I'll tell you later."

I rose my eyebrows at him, but he ignored me and began heating the bucket of water (probably so I'd shut up).

"Hey, Katara!" Toph yelled from the direction of the saddle.

I snapped out of my state of bliss in time to see her throw a bag at me. I caught it and held it up, a large question mark on my face.

Toph smiled, mock innocence plaguing her twelve year old face. "You mentioned you might need one."

By now, everyone was watching curiously, and I understood what. Toph giving a gift was as rare as a blue moon. There was probably a dead animal inside. So with a roll of my eyes and a good natured smile, I reached in and pulled it out.

Immediately, my smile fell and was replaced with a blush. It wasn't a dead raccoon, although I would have preferred it. I managed, in just a few seconds, to embarrass myself in front of the whole camp. For in that bag had been the bindings I wanted.

And I could practically hear the same thought going through all of the males' minds.

'Had she not been wearing those the entire time?'

**o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o**

"I've mentioned my uncle before, right?" He asked, the glow of the firelight casting shadows on his face.

"Fleetingly."

"Well he's been with me for years, always by my side, always supporting me, but one day I decided to go on without him… While I was on my own I passed through a town and met a nice family that let me stay with them.

"Did they know who you were?" I asked, doubting they'd let him stay if they'd known he was the Fire Prince.

"No, not then. The town I was staying at was plagued by a group of corrupt Earth Kingdom soldiers. A little boy that belonged to the family I was staying with attacked a soldier, and they took him away."

"They took the boy?" I asked in horror. "What happened?"

"I went to get him of course. I was doing well until an earthbender challenged me. They were all cheering for me…until I called upon my fire. I beat him, but they didn't take to well to me being the Fire Prince." He gave a sardonic smile.

"They told you to leave… Didn't they?"

He nodded his head.

I snuggled into my sleeping bag and continued to watch Zuko.

He honestly looked fine, like it didn't bother him at all that they shunned him. It looked like things similar to that happened to him on a daily basis, and for all I knew it could. I had no idea what it was like living as a hated person.

"Good night, Zuko." I whispered and closed my eyes, praying to the spirits that he wouldn't ever have to go through that again.

**o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o

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**Review! I command you!**


	12. Zuko's lesson

**Authors notes...authors notes...Um, I dont think I have anything to say this time...  
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**Um...enjoy!**

**Oh, and um...I enjoyed writing this one a lot..._a lot_...especially the spar scene.**

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**o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o**

The beautiful morning light shone down on me as I cut up this morning's fruit. When Aang helped the town a couple days ago, they had given us plenty of food as a gift, and they let us grab any supplies we needed.

Aang, who had stayed up half the night training with Toph, was still sound asleep and snuggled into Appa's warm fur. Toph was still deeply asleep despite the fact that both Sokka and I were up and about.

Sokka was moping over his sword, which had been bent on the tip, although he refused to tell me how it had gotten that way. I knew it wasn't from fighting the earthbenders because it had been fine when he was going through his stances yesterday. But he assured me he could fix it, which was all that mattered.

Maybe he knocked it against a rock.

"Sokka, breakfast is ready." I whispered, confident he would at least hear the word breakfast.

He was up and over within seconds. "Thank you!"

I shushed him and glanced over at Toph, who rolled over restlessly in her sleep. "Eat up, were traveling a lot today, and I'm not preparing a lunch."

Sokka grunted and continued eating his moon peaches.

"And remember our deal…" I picked up an apple and took a big bite. When I glanced up, he was staring at me.

"Right…our deal." Sokka took the pocket knife out and started staring at it as if wondering whether it was a good deal or not, and then apparently satisfied, he pocketed the knife. "I still don't think it's a good idea."

I sighed and took another bite out of my apple. "Why? Just tell me why."

Sokka put down his breakfast, a feat that surely was difficult for him. "I don't want you to be alone with him."

"Alone with him?" I wiped the juice off my chin and sat up straight,

"Yeah…" Sokka suddenly looked very awkward. "I see the way he looks at you."

"The way he looks at me?" I hissed, glancing back towards Toph to make sure she was still asleep.

"Yes." Sokka refused to meet my eyes.

"Zuko doesn't look at me; he never looks at me for anything other than to stare down his perfectly straight nose at me." I took an angry bite out of the apple and grabbed a fruit that resembled a pear.

"Uh huh, he does!" he pointed at me. "Ever since you saved him, he's been…been…ogling you!"

"You think Zuko, Prince of the Fire Nation, is 'ogling' me?" I questioned, laughter saturating my voice.

Sokka's mouth opened and closed like a fish gasping for air. "What?"

"Are you saying that he likes me or something?" I couldn't hold back anymore and barked out my laughter.

"I don't know, but-"

"Sokka, you know there's a difference between looking at me, and _looking_ at me, right?" I asked.

"I know, but-"

I sighed and decided to end the conversation. "Listen, crazy person, I have to wake up Aang and Toph. Go find Zuko, we have to get going."

Sokka was still staring at me in disbelief.

"Do you need help finding Zuko?" I asked with a smile.

He glared at me and grumbled. "I know where he's at."

"Sure you do." I called over my shoulder and started waking up the crew.

Within a few minutes, Sokka was back with Zuko and we were ready to head out.

**o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o**

Momo snuggled into my lap arched against my hand as it rubbed his back. I made little baby noises at him and smiled. Momo had practically been attacked to me all day, he even had ignored Aang when he'd called for him. I didn't mind one bit though, with the cool night air, it was nice to have some kind of lap warmer.

Speaking of night…

I elbowed Sokka in the ribs. "Hey Sokka, don't you think it's about time we land?"

Sokka glared at me, but crawled onto Appa's head to talk to aang. When he crawled back, he did a mock bow. "We will be descending shortly, madam."

"Ha, ha." I turned to Toph and shook my head at him.

"He's not that bad." Toph said and burst into laughter immediately afterward.

"I'm just glad that I get to have my first lesson with Mr. Sulky over there."

"I'm not sulking." Zuko objected.

"Yeah, that explains why your face looks like this." I furrowed my brows and pulled my face into an exaggerated frown.

His frown grew to match mine exactly. "I don't look like that."

"Of course you don't." I smiled at him and elbowed Toph. "Right?"

"How am I supposed to know?" Toph asked, humor lacing her voice.

I smiled to myself and gave Toph a pat on her back. "You're the best Toph."

She shrugged. "I know."

I reached for the food bag and began to dig through it. "They sure gave us a lot, didn't they?"

"They were very grateful." Sokka explained. "Those soldiers had been there for months."

I settled on an apple again and began to snack on it. "It's crazy to think that people who are there to protect, could do something like burning crops."

"Just because they're there for good, doesn't mean they_ are_ good." Zuko mumbled quietly, but I was able to hear it.

I nodded to Zuko. "That is true; it's unfortunate that those people exist in our world."

Zuko, whose eyes had been closed in rest, looked up at me. "You said our world."

"Uh… So?" I questioned.

"Our world. Not your world. _Our_s." He elaborated.

I blushed. "Oh… I guess I did."

He smirked. "So you like it here now?"

"I never said I hated it." I answered, avoiding his question.

"Yes, but you never said you liked it either." Zuko pointed out.

I sighed. "I like it here; don't get me wrong, it's amazing! Controlling the elements is cool, but this isn't my home."

"Is it really?"

Anger began to build up inside of me. "Yes, of course. This isn't my home!"

"You said that already."

I glared at him and turned away, ending the conversation.

He had no right to question me like that. No right at all. Nothing could ever replace my old life. Nothing.

Right?

My world, with its cars, computers, and phone could never be replaced by this technologically-challenged land.

Could it?

And even if I did like it, I couldn't stay anyway. I had to leave eventually; I'm not supposed to be here. I was born in my world, not here. This isn't my land.

Isn't it?

I pushed at my head to try and squash the doubting thoughts. I couldn't start this now; I can't get attached to this world. It was bad enough that I had made friends.

I couldn't become attached to this place. I couldn't.

I dropped my half eaten apple and watched it roll until Momo pounced on it, consuming the entire thing in one bite.

**o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o**

"Why did Aang have to land in the middle of nowhere?" I grumbled and hiked my way through a forest of dense trees. "This is horrible; I can't sense a water source at all."

"We were lucky he was able to find water in the past… With the comet coming, the temperature has been rising and finding water has become harder and harder.

"Well the trees don't seem to have any problems finding water, just look at this thing!" I yelled and kicked at the trunk of the biggest oak tree I could recall seeing. "It's huge!"

"We should just do this tomorrow."

"No… I'll find water." I grumbled.

"We've been walking for three miles…" he complained, a very un-Zuko-like mannerism.

"How would you know?" I snapped.

"The stars."

"Do you hear that?" I stopped and held my hand to me ear. "The stars are telling you to shut up."

Zuko said nothing, but the temperature rose substantially behind me.

"Ah!" I cried in annoyance. "This is stupid; I wish I could just use the water in the damn tree."

"The tree… Right." Zuko mumbled.

"No, really. I learned it in school that there's water in these things."

"School… Right."

"Stop saying that." I spun around and crossed me arms over my chest. "It's all basic biology."

"Sure, you could use the trees to fight me." He taunted.

"I bet I could!" I yelled back.

"Prove it."

"You're such a child."

"I said prove it."

"Ok, I will." I went over to the tree and put my hands flat on the trunk.

"Come on with it." Zuko said impatiently.

"Shut up!" I yelled at him. "I'm trying to concentrate!"

I heard Zuko sigh impatiently and sit down. "Just hurry."

I bit back my retort and closed me eyes, concentrating on feeling and exploring the tree. Through my waterbending, I was able to see into the tree, see that it was a living thing, pulsing with life and water. I couldn't hold back my gasp of amazement, there was so much activity going on inside the tree that I felt inferior to the complexity of the tree.

It felt strange that I would soon be sucking the life out of such a being, but I knew that for the sake of shutting Zuko up, it had to be done.

I took a step back and pulled the water from the tree, leaving only a rain of acorns and a shriveled stump behind.

I smiled widely and spun around to show Zuko, but my concentration was lost and the water crashed to the ground.

Zuko was sitting, his back leisurely resting against another oak tree, eyes closed and not paying one lick of attention to me.

"Zuko!" I yelled in anger. "You weren't even watching!"

His eye peaked open. "What!"

My eyes narrowed dangerously. Without warning, I pulled the water out of the tree behind him and watched him loose balance. He fell backwards and broke what was left of the tree. Before he had time to react, I threw all of the water at him, soaking him to the bone. "That."

Zuko slowly stood up and looked at me. That was it… just looked at me.

I smirked and waited for him to make his move.

Instead of attacking me, like I thought he would, he shook the water out of his hair like a dog and began laughing,

Seconds later, I was laughing too. "I told you I could do it." I said through tears.

"Yes." He smirked. "You did."

"Ready to fight?" I asked, and as an after thought, I added- "Don't go easy on me."

"Okay." He nodded and did something I didn't expect him to do; he pulled off his wet shirt.

I averted my eyes like a little school girl and blushed. I peeked back at him and my blush deepened.

Aang often practiced without his shirt, but this was different, Zuko wasn't a twelve year old boy. No, he definitely wasn't.

Okay, so I'll admit, he's pretty damn hot. I blame it on the water… Who wouldn't look good wet? With water dripping down his muscles? And yes, there was muscle, lots of muscle. Lots. From what I saw, he didn't have an inch of fat on him. I guess that was due to the fact that he's been living in the wilderness for who knows how long. Even I've lost weight since I've been here. I've done nothing but eat healthy and exercise.

And so I'll also admit I wanted to reach out and touch his abs. Which I would never do…never. Never, never, ever.

Just as I thought it couldn't get worse, he took his shirt and began wringing it out, causing his abundant arm muscles to bulge.

I looked away, furious at him and myself. How dare he do that? What's he trying to do? Did he really need to take his shirt off? No, he didn't. I've seen him steam water off himself before so I know he could have dried himself as easily as I could.

A growl was let loose in my throat from frustration, and in my anger I did the only thing I could think to do… I started attacking him.

I was able to get one water whip in before he realized what was happening. Before I could hit him again, he dove to the side and rolled to his feet, successfully evading my attack.

I waited for him to attack. I _really_ wanted to see him bend.

His face was serene as he drew his hands up, flame trailing elegantly in their wake. With one powerful thrust, he sent a wave of fire directly at me.

I was so amazed by the flames that came seemingly out of nowhere, that I didn't even counter his attack until the last minute. I pulled water from the muddy ground and threw it at his fire. Before I had time to attack, another volley of fire was coming at me. My eyes widened in surprise and I threw up a wall, but it wasn't strong enough to block his sudden attack. The ice shattered and I was sent flying backwards, rolling ungracefully in the dirt.

I sputtered to a stop and pushed my face out of the dirt so I could stare at him.

He was fast. Very fast.

"Wow." Was all I could think of to say.

"Again?" he asked simply.

I struggled to pull a stick out of my hair, and once I got it out, I stood up. "Definitely."

He smirked and got into a firebending stance.

I made the first move. I pulled water from the forest life around me and froze it, sending razor sharp icicles at him. He swept his arm out and a streak of fire had them melting midair.

Zuko punched out, sending balls of fire at me. I let the fire sizzle and evaporate in my shield of water, then sent a tentacle out and wrapped it around his leg. Just as I was about to pull, he swept at the water, breaking its hold effortlessly.

I grunted in annoyance and began sending attack after attack at him. Nothing seemed to faze him, and I wanted to scream. I had gotten so used to Aang's unique fighting style that it felt like I had to learn all over again.

I glared at Zuko and sucked air into my lungs. I had to at least get one more hit in him before I stopped.

I steeled myself and sent icicles at him. He ducked to dodge and I sent another wave at him hoping that he wouldn't be able to notice them in time. Amazingly, he twisted his torso and spun out of the way just in time.

Zuko sent a firewhip at me, hitting my arm and burning the skin.

I howled in pain and grabbed my arm out of instinct. Yeah Sokka, sure… There were the actions of someone who was attracted to me. Whatever you say.

"Katara!" he yelled and rushed over to my side. "Are you okay?"

As soon as Zuko was in arms reach, I punched him in the arm. "What was that for?"

"You told me not to go easy on you!" he yelled, his face red with embarrassment and frustration.

"Yeah! But I didn't tell you to burn me!" I complained.

"I thought you'd block it!" he yelled back stubbornly.

Another difference between Aang and Zuko. Aang would have completely freaked out and shown more concern instead of yelling at me like Zuko.

I bit back my response and began healing my stinging arm. "Go over there and wait." I pointed to where he was before the burn.

I pulled myself up and waited for Zuko to move.

He stomped on the ground, sending a wave of fire at me. The wave was traveling so fast I barely had enough time to dodge the attack.

I grunted and prayed to whoever was listening that this fight would at least last longer than my other tries.

Zuko punched out again and again, sending ball after ball of fire at me. I could only throw up wall after wall of water to block it, watch it turn my water to steam, and then repeat the whole process. Within seconds, the air was thick with suffocating steam.

His attacks stopped, and I held my breath. I couldn't see anything, it was as if a thick fog had settled over us. Where was he? I became hyper sensitive. Every crunch of a leaf and snap of twig had me throwing out blind attacks, hoping it was him, thinking I had him, but then I'd hear another sound that just seemed meters away from me.

I didn't want to clear the air; I felt that if I couldn't see him, he couldn't see me. I was counting on that.

Suddenly, a brilliant thought entered my mind. Fog is just water, and if I could use my waterbending to explore the tree, then couldn't I do the same here? I might actually stand a chance of beating him if I could use the fog to "see".

I pulled more water out from the froes around me and turned that into even more fog, expanding the field, making certain that Zuko would _not_ get past me.

There, I felt a disturbance in the force, a shape in the mass of thick watery air.

I lashed out at him and heard the attack hit. I heard the grunt of pain and suddenly, the temperature of the air all around me increased, lifting the heave fog off of us immediately, leaving us both exposed.

I held back and let him attack, hoping that I could at least find a pattern, a weakness. If not that, then maybe I could get to know his style better. The way I saw it was that he was a firebender, and I will be fighting a lot more of them in the future, so I needed to get used to this unique fighting style.

He performed intricate movements that ended with a stream of fire coming directly at me.

I dove out of the way. I tried to tuck and roll out of it, but at the last moment, my clothes caught on a stray branch, stopping me suddenly. I grunted in surprise and looked down at my shirt. I gasped in shock and anger.

"Stop!" I yelled.

He stopped just short of attacking again. "What?"

I gestured down at the huge rip in my shirt, me eyes wide. "Look."

He took a few steps forward and squinted. "Oh, that's it?"

"That's it?" I quoted. "It's huge!" I shouted and shoved my hand through the hole to prove it.

Zuko rolled his eyes at me.

"I'm done." I said bitterly.

"That's it?" he asked again, this time for a different reason. "…We're done...?"

"Only today, tomorrow… You're mine."

"Well… That was fast." He mumbled. If I wasn't mistaken, he sounded disappointed.

I blushed. "That was my first time ever fighting a firebender! How were you the first time you fought Aang?"

His face turned just as red as mine. "You're right."

I smiled in triumph. "Can I watch you bend for a while?"

"Uh…" he rubbed the back of his neck. "Yeah, I guess."

I crab walked backwards and settled myself at the base of a tree.

Zuko began right away with a punch. A flame flew out of his fist and joined a fellow scorch mark. The blast of light illuminated his face and threw shadows throughout the clearing.

I smiled. Bending, whether it was water, fire, earth, or air, was all just so cool and unique. When I got home, this would be the one thing I would miss the most. Sure, I absolutely love Sokka and everyone, but I would miss the control over water I have. It seemed like so much a part of me now. There is such a feeling of power that comes with bending. Here I know that I could protect myself from danger with bending, but I won't be able to do the same at home. It would be like losing a limb.

I leaned back and watched Zuko.

His chest was slick with sweat, causing every flash of fire to make him look damn right ethereal.

Damn it.

I clenched my fist and pushed it against my head, hoping that I could force those thoughts away.

It's all Sokka's fault.

All of it.

If Sokka hadn't mentions his thoughts on how Zuko was "looking at me", then I never would have these thoughts about his strong arms, his chiseled chest…

None of these thoughts.

_None._

And when was he going to put his damn shirt on?!

A cloud obscured the moon, casting us both in near darkness. Zuko stilled and lit a small ball of flames in his palm. "We should probably head back, it's getting late."

It wasn't as if I had been paying one lick of attention to him anyways, so I didn't consider stopping now to be a loss.

**o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o**

I woke up early in the morning, very early. So early, in fact, that I rolled over and prayed that I could just fall back to sleep. But it was in vain, and I knew it. I really, _really,_ had to go to the bathroom. If I didn't have to pee, I would have burrowed into my cozy warm sleeping bag and dozed back into a peaceful slumber.

But right now, that was impossible. I had to go _bad._

Despite the chilly morning air, I jumped out of bed and ran to the bathroom - I mean, bushes.

When I got back to camp, I could tell that I wouldn't be able to fall back to sleep anytime soon. However unfortunate it was, it was too late to fall back to sleep.

I looked up into the sky and sighed at the beauty of the blue sky. I've been in the wilderness long enough to tell that the sun was about an hour away from rising.

I wandered around camp and started picking up after the others. Sokka's possessions were strewn, yet again, all around camp. A sock (which I dared not touch) draped over his pack. His tunic was balled up and thrown into a pile at the foot of his sleeping bag. Aang's staff was lying flat on the ground, and I just knew that someone was going to trip over it. Toph was the only now I didn't ever have to clean up after; she just didn't have many possessions with her.

Oh, her _and _Zuko.

Speaking of Zuko, where the hell was he?

I glanced around camp. Usually, he slept on a blanket or two since he didn't need anything to keep him warm, but he was nowhere to be found.

Was he already doing whatever it is he does in the morning? He was always gone when I got up, but did he really get up _this_ early?

And what _does_ he do?

I shook my head and made my way to Sokka's rolled up tunic. Sine I was awake, I might as well wash some clothes.

I picked up his shirt and-

Wait…

Was Sokka's sleeping bag empty?

I dropped his shirt and squinted through the darkness and lifted up his sleeping bag. It _was_ empty.

My mind slowly began putting two and two together. Zuko…and Sokka… Both were gone… At the same time.

Crap.

Was there going to be a replay of the fight they had last week?

I just hoped Zuko doesn't kill Sokka.

Over the sound of the wind in the trees, I was able to hear one single clank that I knew instantly to be the sound of a sword hitting another sword. I spun towards the sound and began following it out of camp.

It was about a half a mile out that I saw them.

Sokka was charging Zuko, sword pointing at him with deadly accuracy.

I knew right away that they weren't _really_ fighting… Just practicing together. This fight held none of the hate and animosity the last one held. The look of pure loathing that graced Sokka's face last time was replaced with a look of fierce concentration. He wasn't just blindly attacking; he was actually trying to outsmart Zuko. Is this the reason Sokka was always up so early? Had they been doing this the whole time?

Is this why Sokka's sword got bent?

I slunk further into the trees and continued watching.

As Sokka's attack neared Zuko, he seemed to dance out of the way. Sokka reared back and used the momentum of his sword to swing around and go at him again.

Zuko raised one sword and met Sokka's blow. The power of the strike caused Sokka's sword to slide down Zuko's curved one and strike the hilt, jerking Zuko's arm down. Zuko took his other sword and sandwiched Sokka's, twisting it around and forcing both boys side by side. With one flick of his wrist, Zuko sent Sokka's sword flying.

Sokka made a sound of frustration. "Not again!"

Zuko shook his head and watched Sokka retrieve his sword. "You keep doing the same thing; mix it up and maybe you'll succeed."

"I'm not doing the same attack!" Sokka argued, throwing his hands into the air.

"Then why do you keep charging me like you'll get a different outcome? Start thinking!"

"I was thinking!" Sokka yelled defensively.

For a second, I thought Sokka was going to attack him, but then I realized that Zuko was now his teacher and that Sokka would never attack his teacher… At least not during a lesson.

Zuko groaned in annoyance and glared at Sokka. "Fine, come at me again."

Sokka ran at him again, ignoring his advice completely. He lifted his sword, aiming it foe Zuko's head. Zuko dodged easily and rolled away from Sokka, putting space between them.

Sokka swung at him again, looking more like a baseball player than a swordsman.

"It's not all about strength, Sokka!" Zuko yelled and swung at his partner, surprising him enough that he barely had time to defend himself against the blow.

Sokka grunted and swung at him again, increasing his power by using both hands. Sokka brought his weapon down on Zuko, who twisted out of the way, letting Sokka's sword clamor to the ground.

Before Sokka had time to move, Zuko swiped at Sokka's stomach, a hairsbreadth away from slicing him open. "One."

He pushed out at Sokka, spinning him around and sliced at the back of his knees, never touching his skin. "Two."

Zuko kicked out at his knees, causing Sokka to fall to them. With one slash, both Zuko's swords were at Sokka's neck. "Three."

Sokka groaned. "That's not fair!" He reached up and pushed Zuko's swords away from his jugular.

"I could have killed you in a thousand different ways just then!" Zuko's composure was slipping, giving way to frustration.

"I would have stopped you!" he yelled back.

Zuko ran his fingers through his long hair. "Yeah, that's why-"

I tuned them out and began trekking my way back to camp. The sun's rays began spilling over the horizon, and I knew it was time to leave before they realized I was here.

**o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o

* * *

**

**Aw, Zuko is ogling Katara!!!!**

**And I think she's ogling back, but she has a long way to go before she stats liking him.**


	13. Taught

**o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o**

"Okay, Sokka, I've been following you guys without question. Do you agree?"

Sokka stared at me, repeating my question in his head so he could decipher its meaning. "…Right?"

"That was a yes or no question Sokka." I stared into his eyes.

"Yes?" his brows wrinkled in worry and confusion. He looked at Toph for a hint, but she was smiling and didn't give him anything.

"Well, then I have a request, and since I've been _so_ good this trip, I think I deserve this." I began.

"What is it?" he asked.

"When I see a town I deem suitable, I want to stop and rest for two days…Just two days." I kept my eyes locked onto his, my gaze deadly serious.

"I second that!" Toph piped in.

I smiled in triumph and began stroking Momo, who had just crawled into my lap. "There you go."

"Absolutely not." Sokka made a gesture with his arms and almost hit Zuko.

"I'm bringing this to a vote then." I crossed my arms stubbornly.

"No, you wont!" He yelled, his face red with anger.

"All in favor-"

Sokka cut me off and begged. "Come on Katara, we don't have time to-"

"Sokka." I calmed my voice and sighed. "Two days, that's all I'm asking for."

"But-"

"Please?" I pleaded with my eyes.

"But I-" his breath caught in his throat and he looked away. "Ok."

My eyebrows rose in question. I hadn't thought it'd be _that_ easy to convince him. But hey, who was I to look a gift horse in the mouth?

"Thank you!" I squealed and crawled over to give him a big hug, practically pushing Zuko in the process. "Thank you so much!"

He grumbled something, but I couldn't make it out.

I continued. "I'll finally be able to sleep on a bed, an actual bed."

I could hear Zuko sigh. "Congratulations."

"Okay, Zuko, rain on my parade why don't you?" I folded my arms across my chest and shook my head at him.

I glanced back at Sokka to thank him again, but something was wrong. "Sokka…are you okay?"

"Hm?" He glanced up and then away again.

"Are you ok?"

"Yeah…fine…just-" Sokka sighed loudly. "Just thinking."

"About what?" I asked.

"Mom used to do that- that thing with her eyes- It was the only way she could get dad to eat his sea slug for dinner." He sighed and rubbed at his face tiredly.

My heart leapt into my throat and guilt washed over me. "Oh, I'm sorry. If you really don't want to stop we don't have to…"

"No…It's okay…" he smiled, but it didn't reach his eyes.

"Thank you." I whispered and had to look away. Sometimes it was hard to remember that Sokka could look so sad. After all…most of the time he was so goofy and happy! He was constantly joking and complaining so it was hard to think he could hurt so much.

Sokka was already mumbling to himself. "We'll have to land early and rent out a few rooms…Then we'll have to-"

Momo purred loudly and pushed against my hand. I smiled sweetly at him and resumed stroking him.

**o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o**

The next morning, we found the perfect place.

The town we decided to stop in was nice one, and it was also one of the last few stops we were going to make before we reached the Earth Kingdom shore, once our business was done there, we'd head off to the Air Temple.

This place had money, and that much was obvious. As we had first entered, guards were on us in a second and immediately started asking questions. What business do you have here? How long are you staying?

They had looked just about ready to send us away. I was pretty sure they would have too if they had known Zuko' identity, but like usual, he was covering his face with his hair. He was obviously trying to cover his nation's signature golden eyes, and his giveaway scar, but his rapidly growing hair was getting too long and already reached his bottom lip. Soon, he wouldn't be able to hide his face any longer without looking like a complete idiot.

It wasn't until Toph spoke up and told them who she was that they let us in. It had actually gave them quite a shock to find out that Toph Bei Fong was in their presence.

Sokka had been sent in earlier, although I have no idea how he could have gotten passed those nosy guards.

Zuko had informed me earlier that this region of the Earth Kingdom was heavy with mines that produce gems (of course he had to add that the Fire Nation had the most abundant mines with the purest and largest gems out of all of the nations). The buildings were large and grand compared to those of other towns I've passed through. I remembered that the town I met Toph in had been comprised of little more than shacks.

They seemed to have everything in this town. I could see clothing shops that had fine materials and gorgeous gowns. There were countless tea shops and small cafes, all serving delectable delights native to the region.

"Sokka said he'd meet us at the big fountain…" Aang glanced around nervously. "But I don't see one."

I sidestepped a group of kids my age and smiled at Aang. "We'll be fine, don't worry. I bet Toph knows where it's at."

Toph glanced Aang's way. "You guys would be lost without me."

His face turned red and he pulled at his hat.

We followed Toph through the maze of the town until we finally found a large courtyard elegantly-crafted decorative fountain. Buildings surrounded the bustling courtyard, but the fountain was the most beautiful thing I've ever seen. It looked like it was carved by master sculptors. And it probably had been, if any nation were to succeed in sculpting, it would be the Earth Kingdom.

Thankfully, we only had to sit around bored for ten minutes before Sokka finally decided to come and get us.

He was quiet and looked rather annoyed, but it wasn't until we trekked further into the town that I realized why. Every house looked extremely expensive; he must have had to pay a large sum in order to rent a house for two nights.

I nudged Zuko, who was at my side. "How can we afford this?"

He sighed. "I gave him all of the money I brought with me."

"Did he spend all of it?" I hissed.

"Who knows." He shrugged.

"Now I feel bad…" I sighed. "We could have used that money for something else…"

"Probably not."

I scoffed. "Yes, we could have."

He sighed. "Between here and the Air temple, there is only one more town. I doubt we'd spend all of our money at a poor ton like that."

"And we won't need money at the Air Temple…won't we?"

He looked down at his feet. "Thanks to my people, it's not exactly the best place to go shopping."

"Yeah, well I don't feel good about blowing all of it in one go."

He looked at me and shook his head. "We need this."

"Really?"

"I'm going to go insane if I have to spend another night listening to Sokka snore."

I snorted in laughter. "I agree."

"We're here!" Sokka shouted.

Zuko and I both glanced up at the same time.

my mouth dropped open in suprise at what my eyes saw. I had expected a small hotel like place with a stable and a saloon of some kind downstairs, like in the movies, but this was big. Really big.

"Hey, Sokka, aren't we staying at a hotel?"

"They didn't have any boarding houses available."

"Wow." Was all that I could utter.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah…" He waved me towards the door. "Just get in."

"This is an actual house…" I smiled. The room was very nice, decorated with expensive-looking art and furniture; the walls were painted a beige color, and the floors were made of a dark, hard wood that was polished to a shine. A large and intricate rug was placed in the middle of the room with a small table in its center.

"It smells weird in here." Sokka commented.

"Yeah, that's the smell of clean." Zuko grumbled.

"No, no…" He sniffed around more. "It smells like food."

"Yeah, these places usually come with a fully-stocked kitchen." Toph commented.

As soon as 'fully-stocked kitchen' was out of her mouth, Aang and Sokka ran to the kitchen.

I walked directly to a comfy-looking arm chair and jumped into it. It felt heavenly. "This is nice."

"Beats sleeping on the hard ground." Zuko added.

"No it doesn't!" Toph objected. "Now if you excuse me, I am going to walk around."

When Toph was gone, I turned to Zuko who was examining a piece of art. "I could get used to this…"

Zuko didn't reply, instead, he began to walk off.

It only took me two seconds to realize he was walking over to where the bedrooms were.

"Wait!" I yelled after him. There was no way I'd let him get the first pick of the rooms. As soon as he turned around, I shot up and ran past him.

He seemed to know exactly what I had planned, and as soon as I reached the door out of the room, he was right behind me. I ran up the middle of the hallway and took up as much room as I could so he couldn't squeeze past me. But Zuko, the human hamster, ducked under my arm and sprinted ahead of me. I reached out and grabbed the back of his shirt and pulled him back. With a laugh we rounded the corner and I used him to slingshot myself to the first room.

"Cheater!" he yelled as I yanked the first door open.

The room was very generic, cozy, but generic. It had a soft-looking bed resting against the wall and a few chairs set in front of a window. The view overlooked what seemed to be some sort of factory.

I immediately shut the door and looked around; Zuko had made it to the next room. I groaned, but a second later…I saw it at the end of the hall. Two double doors with fancy looking carvings. Those doors could only mean one thing…the master bedroom.

Zuko hadn't noticed it yet, so as fast as I could, I ran towards it. I threw open the doors and closed them behind me. As loud as I could, and without a single thought, I yelled out. "Dibs!"

It was a damn good thing too, because as soon as I glanced around, I gasped.

The first thing I saw was the view. My room overlooked what seemed to be the whole town. People bustled around, shopping, walking, and kids chased each other around, weaving in and out of the adults legs. But that wasn't what shocked me, although it was very nice, the majestic mountains that outlined the sunset were the most beautiful things I've ever seen.

I tore my eyes away from the windows and found the bed. A thick and soft white blanket covered one of the biggest looking mattresses I've ever seen. And it didn't look like it was stuffed with straw either (which had been my main fear). Dozens of fluffy pillows covered half the bed and the sight made me squeal. You always saw stuff like that on TV, but this was my first time ever seeing it in person. There were tables on either side of the bed that held countless candles and one single red rose.

Right across from the bed was a fireplace...An actual fireplace! Next to it was a wardrobe twice as big as the one in the first room. This probably would have made me happier if I actually had more than one outfit.

I nodded in satisfaction and smiled. I definitely chose the right room.

I couldn't help but do a little spin, and when I stopped, I saw the door.

I smile crept on my face, I already knew what that was. It was a bathroom. I rushed into the room and smiled. There was a bathtub in here. It was a far cry from the bath tubs that I was used to, but it would definitely do. To my surprise, I also saw that there was a nozzle that would give me water. I had half-expected that I would have to fill it up bucket by bucket and drag Zuko in here to heat it up.

"Indoor plumbing…" I breathed out.

I heard a grunt and turned to see Toph standing in the doorway.

"Indoor plumbing!" I yelled in excitement.

"Well yeah…" Toph rolled her eyes.

"I'm so relieved!" I smiled widely and did another spin.

"I'm glad." A smile crept its way onto her face. "But you know…I'm staying in here with you."

My smile fell. I had been looking forward to some much needed peace and quiet. "But the bed isn't-"

She rolled her unseeing eyes. "I don't want to sleep in that stupid bed."

"Oh…"

"There are only three rooms and I am not sharing with Sokka."

"Have Sokka share with Zuko then!"

"Zuko already called dibs on a room, even I respect his call."

"But I called dibs too!" I yelled in frustration.

Toph smirked. "Yeah, I said I respect _his_ call."

"Fine." I grumbled.

"Don't worry, Princess, I'm sure we'll have fun."

I brightened at the mention of fun. "Yeah, we can go to a spa or something!"

"Oh…Spa." Toph rolled her eyes, but she was still smiling.

"You know that sounds good." I nudged her with my elbow. "I just hope Sokka has some left over money we could use."

"Money?" Toph scoffed. "I'm a Bei Fong, I'm all the money you'll need."

"Cool." I put my arm around Toph and made our way out of the house.

"I'm still set on finding a spa or something, I've never had a massage before." I gushed.

"I'm sure we'll find one." Toph spoke offhandedly.

"Great, and then we can get our hair and makeup done." I continued with excitement.

"Great." She sighed.

"Oh, come on. "Toph, you know you want to be pampered."

Her voice was a monotone. "Yeah, sounds great."

"Oh, I'm sure we'll have a great time."

A few hours later Toph and I emerged from the spa feeling like new people. At first Toph had been resistant, but after that massage, even _she_ was excited for the mud bath (although I think it had more to do with the mud than the actual bath). We had gotten at least five different types of massages, soaked in a few different kinds of mud's, and even gotten our nails done (Toph had absolutely refused to get a pedicure). Then, we decided (actually, it was my idea) to get our hair and makeup done.

We looked damn good…But there was only one problem. What were we going to do now?

This is the most downtime I've had since I came to this world.

"Want to go walking?" I asked Toph.

"Why not?" she seemed completely indifferent.

"Cool, let's-" I was cut off when something hard hitting me and knocked me to the ground. My stuff scattered and a sharp pain ran through my elbow as it hit the cobbled road.

"Well, that came out of nowhere." Toph commented dryly.

"Oh!" Hands grabbed my arms and lifted me up. "Are you ok?"

I straightened myself and looked at the man who ran into me. He was a kind-looking man, middle-aged, slightly balding, nothing to really make him stand out from the crowd. The only thing different about him was the large bag full of scrolls that hung from his shoulder. His large brown eyes stared down at me; they were filled with worry and embarrassment.

When I didn't reply, his face took on a worried look. "Ma'am, are you ok? Did you hit your head?"

"No." I shook my head and rubbed at my elbow. "Just my elbow."

"Oh my, I'm so sorry!" he grabbed my arm and examined my elbow. "I'm a doctor; let me take a look at it."

"Doctor?" I questioned.

"Yes." He whipped a pair of glasses out of his bag and perched them on his nose.

I pulled my arm out of his grasp and grabbed him by his shoulders. "Really, I'll be fine. Did you say you were a doctor?"

"Yes, yes." He furrowed his eyebrows at me. "Now will you please-"

"Can you teach me?" I was practically shaking in excitement.

He didn't even glance up. "What?"

"Teach me." I repeated.

His face was still full of worry. "I can't just-"

"Please?" I begged.

"First let me examine youre-"

I cut him off. "My arm is fine!" My voice was annoyed, couldn't he just let it drop? It hurt, a lot, but I wasn't going to die or anything.

"I would feel much better if you would just let me look at it." He reached for my arm and I let him take it, the quicker he shut up, the sooner I could convince him to teach me. I would love to learn more about the body so I could be a better healer. As of now, I always feel nervous about healing someone, it would be great to go into it feeling confident and knowing that I'd be able to heal anything.

"Fine." I grumbled.

"Oh my…"he murmured.

_That_ got my attention. "What?"

He prodded me elbow painfully and made a tsk-ing noise. "This is going to swell; I'll have to wrap it for you."

"Oh, she'll be fine. Come on…let's go." Toph began. "I heard there was going to he some kind of bending tournament…I think its time for the return of the Blind Bandit."

"Yeah, no need to worry." I was growing more and more impatient. "Now, can you teach me?"

He was glancing between my face and my elbow with worry. "Ma'am, I must attend to your arm. Besides, I can't just teach you…it takes years and years of practice and study to learn. And I must say, you are way too young."

"I am _fine_. And I'm not asking you to make me a doctor; I want you to _teach_ me." I whined. "And forget about my arm."

"But-"

"Okay, fine!" I yelled and pulled a globe of water from the water skin, which I always kept hanging from my hip. As soon as I placed the glove of water on my elbow, it began to glow. "Now, can you-"

"You're a healer?" now it was his turn to grab my shoulders.

"Yeah, now I need to-"

"Why didn't you tell me earlier?" his smile was huge, the excitement on his face was as clear as day. "This is amazing…an actual healer right in front of me!"

"I told you I would be fine." I grumbled.

"This is great! I've only read about this!"

Toph grumbled, sounding annoyed. "That's it, I'm out of here."

I glanced back at Toph's retreating form. "Crap…" I mumbled, she was the one who knew the way back.

"You must come with me now!" he jogged away without giving me a chance to decline.

I glanced back at Toph, but she was already gone. With no choice, I ran after the doctor.

"Wait!" I yelled after him.

He turned around and after a second of being shocked that I wasn't right behind him, he waited reluctantly.

"What is your name?" I asked as we made our way to where I presumed his office was.

"Xin Fung." He answered with a smile and paused so he could hold out a thin hand.

I shook it with a smile. "Nice to meet you, my name is Katara."

He smiled back and pressed forward. "This is incredible! An actual healer!" he gushed.

I smiled and patted him on the back. "Thanks for all of this."

"Not a problem at all!" he continued. "From the state of your clothes, I can tell you're a traveler, will you be staying long?"

"We'll be leaving a day from now." I admitted.

"What?" he seemed angry. "But there's so much I can learn from you, how can I-"

"I doubt there's anything I can teach you." I told him with a blush.

He seemed to scoff at the thought. "Oh, I doubt that."

"Really, I haven't had much practice."

"No need to worry, I have mountains of scrolls dedicated to Water Tribe healers."

"You do?" I yelled in excitement. I could sense people giving me strange looks, but I didn't really care.

"Yes, and here we are." He gestured to a large house, not too unlike the one we were staying at, but once we got inside the similarities ended. This wasn't a house for rent, this was an actual home. Personal items were all over the place, cloaks flung over the backs of chairs, open scrolls littering the tabled and floors, and cold tea still sitting on a desk. In short, this place looked lived in.

He walked through the room, throwing his bag of scrolls into a chair, and then walked to a closed door.

He threw it open and it was like I was transported into a different world (again). It was definitely an office, but it was more. It was practically a library. The room was full to the brink with shelves and shelves of scrolls. Some were yellowed with age, and some were crisp and new.

"This is my assistant, Lee." He pointed to a small boy that looked to be Aangs age.

"Hello." I muttered, embarrassed that I didn't see him when I first came in.

He glanced up, showed his freckled face for a few seconds, and then went back to his scrolls. "This is what took you so long? You went off to pick up girls?"

Xin blushed and threw a scroll at the young boy. Lee dodged it easily and I got the idea that he was used to dodging the things.

"I was not picking up girls, I was shopping, I told you. That was only one time." He looked frustrated. "but that doesn't matter, look! I've found a healer!"

He didn't seem impressed. "So? We've got plenty of them floating around town…"

"No!" he yelled. "A _healer_. A Water Tribe Healer."

"What?" he perked up.

"Yes, and actual Waster Tribe Healer!" He froze and looked at me. "Northern or Southern?"

I paused and remembered Sokka. "Southern."

"Oh, even better!" he cried.

Lee shot to his feet. "This is way cool!"

"'Way cool' is right!" they looked ready to hug each other.

"And to think I was planning on ditching lessons today…" Lee muttered.

"Why is southern better?" I asked, bringing the conversation back.

"The two most known healers were from the Southern Water Tribe."

"Really?" I asked.

"Oh yes. They traveled the world healing people!" he went behind his desk and sat down. "Now young lady, my house is open to you. You may read whatever you wish. The scrolls concerning healing are on the shelf to your left."

I smiled brightly and grabbed the first scroll I saw.

I have no idea how long I sat there and read, or how many scrolls I went through, but the entire time I sat, I was completely engrossed. So when the front door to his house banged open, it gave me a start.

"Xin!" I heard a voice yell.

The door was pushed open and in charged a large man. He practically took up the whole doorway.

Xin seemed to recognize the man. "Oh no…not again. How bad this time?"

"Pretty bad. Some idiots were playing around and nearly sliced their arms off!"

He growled, but turned to me to explain. "This is Ginli, he owns a weapons shop down the street."

I nodded in understanding and followed both men out of the shop while Lee ran at my side.

The shop was large, but I had no problem finding the injured due to the sound of them moaning in pain. They were both boys that I could tell were older than me, but they looked to be still in their teenage years. One was sitting in a corner with his head between his knees, moaning and clutching his wadded up shirt to his arm. The second wasn't nearly as tough. He was rolling on the floor and screaming in pain.

"You two again?" he yelled at them. "Last month it was a broken leg, but now this? I have half a mind to leaving and letting you bleed to death."

Both heads shot up and stared at him in a silent plea.

Xin sighed. "Your lucky I am a man of reason…"

Even though seconds earlier he had been threatening to let them die, he sprung into action and called for Lee to bring his bag. He knelt next to the boy who was rolling on the floor and grabbed his shoulders to still him.

I stood there, silent and useless, contemplating whether he needed me or not.

After a few seconds, I wandered over to the other boy who was still sitting in the corner.

With a lot of awkwardness, I asked him "May I take a look at your arm?"

He stared up at me, his dark green eyes staring into my blue ones. He was probably a few years older than me, if not Zuko's age then older. He was very attractive, even though he was sweating pretty badly from the pain. He had a strong jaw and straight nose, giving him a noble look. "Who are you?" he finally asked curiously.

"I'm Xin's assistant for the day." I glanced back at toe doctor and saw that he was cleaning the boy's wounds and berating him for getting injured so often. "I think I can help you."

"Alright…" he seemed reluctant, but he held out his arm anyway.

I removed his wadded up shirt and cringed. The cut was pretty deep, practically to the bone. "Wow." I placed his shirt back on his cut and applied more pressure.

He flinched in pain. "I know…it's bad."

"Nothing that I can't fix."

He smiled at me, but I could tell it was hard for him to maintain due to his arm. "Good."

"How did it happen?" I asked and pulled water from my flask, as quickly as I could; I removed his shirt and replaced it with my haling glove.

He sighed and his eyes were filled with respect and wonder. "I think I prefer you over Lee."

I smiled and blushed.

"That idiot over there was playing with a sword and hit himself. Don't ask me how, I don't know myself."

"I understand, I have a brother." I smiled knowingly, Sokka hurt himself a lot.

"Well, he stumbled into the display and knocked a sword into me!"

"Ouch." I muttered and continued healing him; it was deeper than I thought.

He chuckled. "Yeah, it was quite a surprise actually."

"Done!" I smiled happily and put the water back into my flask. His arm was smooth and unblemished now, his muscle forming a straight line to his wrist. "Not even a scar."

"Wow." He looked his arm over and flexed his muscle. "Thank you. I didn't know there were any waterbenders in town."

"Oh, I'm just passing through." I admitted.

He looked at me for a second and then smirked. "That's a shame."

It took me a second to realize he was flirting with me.

I cleared my throat and blushed. "Yeah, I like it here."

"Really? Have you done anything yet?" he stood up and offered me a hand.

I blushed again and took it, allowing him to help me up. "Not really…"

He glanced over to his brother and shook his head. "They whole broken leg incident was his fault too you know…but what can I do, he _is_ my little brother…"

I smiled at him. "Yeah, I bet it was."

He smiled. "Well, it was my fault too, but the majority of the blame rests with him."

I rolled my eyes goon naturedly. "Whatever you say."

"What's your name?" he asked me.

"Katara." I answered holding out my hand. "And yours?"

"Hanako." He answered and took a hold of my hand.

I blushed again when he neither shook it or let it go, he just held it in his warm hands.

"OW!" Hanako's brother screamed loudly.

I jumped and jerked my hand away like I was a kid caught pilfering cookies before dinner.

"There, now I don't want to see you again for at least a few months…" Xin told his other patient and then stood up. "Ok, whose next."

"Um actually…I took care of him." I announced shyly.

His mouth gaped open. "You healed him and I missed it?"

"What?" Lee yelled in annoyance.

"Sorry." I mumbled and Hanako laughed.

"How unfortunate, I was hoping I could watch…" he let it drop. "Never mind…we must head back, there is much to do."

I turned to Hanako and smiled. "Well, it was nice meeting you."

He was staring straight into my eyes. "Yeah, it was great meeting you too."

They way he said it made my heart pump. "Bye."

He bit his lip. "Bye."

I turned to leave, but Hanako grabbed my arm. "I know we just met…but…"

"Yes?" I prompted.

"Would you like to go out with me sometime tomorrow?" he asked quickly, staring at the floor.

"Katara!" Xin yelled through the doorway. "We must get moving!"

"I would love to." I answered with a smile.

He smiled in relief. "Great, so Tomorrow night, around six, ok?"

I nodded and gave him my address.

Tomorrow was going to be fun.

**o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o**

"Sokka!" I ran through the house in search of my brother. "Sokka!"

"Katara?" Sokka yelled back and I was able to follow his voice back to the courtyard.

He was sitting under the shade of a tree sharpening his sword with a stone. Zuko was on the other side of the tree, lying on his back and staring up at the clouds.

"Guess what?" I bounced on my heels in excitement.

"What?" he didn't look up or put down his sword.

"I found a doctor!" I yelled. "And he taught me stuff that I could use to heal you guys!"

He finally glanced up. "Cool."

"More than cool. He showed me a diagram that had all of the major blood vessels, and where the organs were…and he showed me all of the pressure points in body, and he let me read any of his scrolls that I wanted to…and…you don't care, do you?" Sokka seemed more interested in his sword, than what I was saying, and Zuko…well, he looked like he was sleeping.

Sokka sighed and looked at me. "Its not that I don't care, its just…I have no clue what you're going on about."

I sighed. "Fine."

That's the last time I try to talk to him about that kind of stuff.

"You were gone the whole day, were you with this doctor the whole time?" he stretched and stood up.

"No, Toph and I were together for a while…"

"So she's not with you?"

"No."

"Well then where is she?"

"Ladies and gentleman!" Toph rounded the house and announced.

"Speak of the devil…" I muttered.

All of us looked up at Toph. Her newly washed and fixed hair was in disarray and her clothes were covered in dirt, even her usually clean headband was filthy. "Look whose back!" her smile was huge.

"Uh…Toph?" I asked, stating the obvious.

"No…" she cleared her throat and pulled something large from behind her back. "The Blind Bandit if back!"

"Is that your new belt?" Sokka asked.

"Yeah…is it better than the last one?" she asked.

This new belt was a lot more detailed than her original one, it had a gold design on it that resembled a mountain on both sides, and the design met at the middle and formed into the Earth Kingdom insignia.

"Yeah, I like it…" I commented.

Sokka looked to be drooling over it. "Its awesome!"

Zuko's head poked out from behind the tree curiously. "Nice."

"I'm glad to see you are all so excited." Toph mumbled and retreated into the house.

"I'm excited!" I yelled after her.

"You're always excited!" he screamed over her shoulder.

"I am not."

"Yes you are." Zuko interjected.

"Shut up Zuko." I said and then followed Toph into the house. Maybe if I just got dinner done now, I'd be able to get everyone off to bed and then I'd be able to kick Zuko's ass during out nightly spar. And trust me, his ass will get handed to him.

**o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o**

"No!" He practically yelled. "Do it like this!" He kicked out with his leg and froze mid air. "Look at my leg; you need to keep it at this angle. Who are you planning on kicking? A child?"

I rolled my eyes. "It's hard to kick that high."

"Well your opponent's head is going to be up here, so you need to aim that high."

"I don't think I plan on kicking him in the face…"

"It doesn't matter, I'm the teacher, so do what I say." He growled in annoyance.

I scoffed. "Yes Master Hot Head."

He narrowed his eyes at me. "Just do it."

I smirked at Zuko. We had decided that since we were in the middle of a town, bending might not be the best (or smartest) thing to do. With nothing better to practice, we decided that hand to hand fighting was just as important as bending, especially since I wouldn't always have water, and so here we were, with Zuko yelling at me, and me considering kicking him in the face.

I kicked as high as I could, but before I pulled back, Zuko grabbed my leg. I lost my balance and grabbed onto his arm to steady myself. "What?"

He rolled his eyes and pushed my knee straight. Unfortunately, he over estimated how flexible I was…my other leg buckled and I fell on my butt.

"Jerk!" I yelled and rubbed my sore but.

"I told you to practice stretching; it's not my fault you didn't listen." He retorted.

I ground my teeth together and got to my feet. "You're lucky you're my teacher."

"Sifu." He corrected.

"I'm not calling you Sifu."

"Well then I'm not teaching you."

"Okay, _Sifu_ Zuko." I practically spat the word.

He smirked. "Good. Now we need to work on your punches."

"My punches are fine." I crossed my arms over my chest.

"Show me."

I punched out as hard as I could, but he was able to catch my fist seconds before it made contact with his face.

I didn't even see him move, I blinked once and he had his hand on my elbow. "I could break your arm right now."

I jerked my hand out and made a sound of anger. "Will you stop doing that?"

He rolled his eyes. "I wouldn't have to do it if you would just listen to me."

"I do listen to you!"

"No you don't!"

"I listen, but whether I'll obey is a different story."

"You're such a child."

"Oh yes, and you're the beacon of maturity."

"Only around you." He commented dryly.

I rolled my eyes. "Let's just get on with it."

"Alright, now come at me again, but do it right this time."

"Always so encouraging." I commented.

"Just go." He gestured at me to come forward.

I swung my best roundhouse kick at him and he jerked back, bending at the waist to get out of the way. I punched out as he came up again. He spun out of the way and off to the side.

He swung his arm out and hit me in the back with his forearm, knocking me foreward. As I stumbled forward, he put his foot out, effectively tripping me.

I landed on my hands and knees and rolled out of the way as he kicked.

I jumped to my feet and turned, lashing out blindly. I felt my fist connect with a hard wall of muscle and heard a surprised "oomph."

"HA!" I yelled proudly.

"You learn fast." He grunted. "But I'm still better."

He was so fast I didn't even see it coming

He locked his leg in mine and jerked it back, making me lose my balance (yet again) and grab onto him for support. I expected that we looked like a dance couple performing some kind of intricate dip. I looked into his golden eyes, his face inches from mine, and my face turned red.

Remember Katara, no attachments. Don't start liking him or anything. Get out of this position _now_.

The only thing I could think to do was use my other leg to trip him, reasoning was that he would let go so that he wouldn't fall. I would most likely fall as well, but it was better than being pressed against him like this. With one sweep of my only free leg, I kicked out, making contact with his knee.

He grunted and stumbled in surprise.

Time seemed to slow.

He landed hard on top of me, knocking all of the air off of my lungs. When I was finally able to gasp in a breath of air, I froze.

Zuko smelled good.

Really good.

He smelled like dirt, sweat, and forest. But underneath that, there was something else…something I couldn't name…it was the smell of a man.

Something inside of me, deep inside, answered. It was new to me, something primal that I've never experienced before. But my inexperience didn't matter; my body already knew what to do.

And it scared me. A lot.

Boys from my time didn't smell like this, they showered everyday and wore cologne, masking their natural, masculine scent. But this wasn't manufactured. This was him.

This was the scent I'd wake up to every morning if-

Wow.

Back it up Katara, what the hell were you thinking? If you _what_?

Zuko exhaled. I inhaled. He shifted. I didn't dare move.

Zuko's skin was how, too hot, I had to get him off of me.

I pushed at him. I _had_ to get him off me now. I needed to catch my breath, dunk my head into a bucket of ice water, and do _something_ to cool myself down.

Time sped back up.

I breathed in a shaky breath and pulled water from the fountain. In one smith motion, I flung the water at him and knocked him off of me.

With a burning red face, I sprang up and ran off as fast as I could.

If I'd ever be able to show my face to him in the future, I'd consider it a miracle.

**o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o**


	14. Katara's chance

**Has anyone noticed how long the last two chapters have been? I dont know why, but man...they've been long.**

**Ok, so...um...enjoy!**

**P.s.- I've been waiting to put this chapter in for so long! AH!**

* * *

**o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o**

"I don't understand why you had to get your hair done again." Toph grumbled. "It seems pointless to me."

"You're just angry I had you come along with me." I laughed.

"Yes, that may be true," she admitted. "But still, did you really need that new dress?"

I glanced down at myself. Using the purchasing power of the Bei Fong family, I had bought a new wrap dress. This one was a pretty green number with a dark trim and a sash around the middle. Simple, but it was formfitting in all of the places that mattered, and I thought it made me look great. Hopefully Hanako would feel the same. "Yeah, I can't just show up in my regular clothes."

"Why not?" she asked.

I scoffed at the idea. "They are faded, ripped, and I know they have blood stains on them. I want to look nice."

"Okay, princess." She rolled her eyes at me.

I smiled at her and ran my fingers through my silky hair. "I haven't gotten done up like this in years!"

Toph groaned. "So you get your hair done twice in two days…you could have just- I don't know- not taken a bath last night."

"I know this world is different," I sighed and let go of my hair. "But in my world, we bathe daily."

Toph shook her head. "Your world is crazy."

"We don't die from common colds either…" I mumbled.

"So…" Toph began. "When are you planning on telling Sokka?"

"About bathing daily?" I stalled. "I plan on telling him soon, trust me…he stinks."

Toph grunted in annoyance and put her hand on her hip. "Come on, you know what I'm talking about."

"Um…" I paused. "That is a good question."

She laughed. "It's a _very_ good question."

"I was hoping to leave without seeing Sokka on my way out the door."

Toph began laughing harder. "That was your plan?"

"Well, I don't really want to lie to him." I sighed.

"Yes, lying is not a good idea. If he finds out, he'll kill you." She shook her head. "And if not you, then your boyfriend."

I rolled my eyes. "He's not my boyfriend, he's just a date."

Toph made a noise stiff with disbelief.

"He's just a boy I met, and I would enjoy getting to know him more. Strictly platonic."

Toph smirked. "Is he cute?"

"Yes." I admitted. "He's cute, but really… It's not like I'm looking for love or anything. This is just to have fun. And you can use your lie detecting powers on that one."

"I wonder if he's muscular…" She continued, ignoring me completely.

"Yes, he is." I laughed. "But that's not the point."

"Oh, I know… I'm just messing with you." Toph gave me a harder than necessary pat on the back. "But you know, Sokka is going to be angry, better not let him meet the guy."

"Oh, I know Sokka's going to flip, but he's going to have to deal with it." I asserted confidently.

"Just don't let him see you before you leave…" Toph muttered.

"I know…he'll probably ask where I'm going and then I'll probably end up telling him the truth." I admitted.

"No…" Toph smirked and I suddenly got nervous…very nervous. "It's what you look like that'll bother him."

"What's wrong?" I asked and looked myself over. "My dress isn't very revealing."

"Its not that…it's your hair."

"My hair?" I ran to the vanity and checked it out. My hair was smooth, not a hair out of place. "What's wrong with it?"

"Oh, nothing big…" Toph appeared nonchalant. "Its just the Southern Water Tribe is very traditional."

"Traditional?" I asked.

"Yes, _very_ traditional."

"Okay…" I spoke slowly.

"Women from his home don't wear their hair down." She hinted.

"Well, I'm not them." I said.

She smiled. "Only your husband is supposed to see you with your hair down. It's supposed to be a very intimate thing."

I blushed. "Well, were not in the Water Tribe, now are we?"

She chuckled. "You try telling him that."

"But I've seen tons of girls around with their hair down…" I fingered my sash and contemplated putting my hair back up.

"Like I said, try telling him that." Her eyes stared blankly ahead, unfocused, but full of warning.

"Well, I'm not going to change my hair now. Besides, Sokka needs to understand that I didn't grow up in the Water Tribe. I grew up in America, and in America, we can wear our hair down whenever we want."

"Alright…" she shrugged, a smile playing on her lips. "It'll make things more entertaining for me."

"That's all you care about, isn't it?" I asked her.

"For the most part."

I glanced out the window and sighed at the setting sun. "He'll be coming to get me soon."

"Better hope lover boy can defend himself." Toph elbowed me in the side.

"No doubt he could hold his own against Sokka."

"Yeah, but I'm not too sure about Zuko."

If my face was pink before, it was crimson now. Until this moment, I had forced thoughts of Zuko from my mind by willpower alone. He was also one of the reasons I went out with Toph again today. I did _not_ want to see him again. I was absolutely terrified that if I saw him, I would start _feeling_ things again. These horrible, nauseating feelings.

I couldn't even sleep well last night, every time I lay down, I felt his body on top of mine.

Disgusting.

I'm just thanking the gods that I managed to miss him when I ran out of the house this morning and when I snuck back in thirty minutes ago.

"Zuko?" I questioned nonchalantly. "Why should he be worried about Zuko?"

"Hmmm…" Toph gave me a strange look, one that told me she knew something that I didn't. "No reason."

"Why?" I asked again, a nervous feeling growing in the pit of my stomach.

"No reason." She repeated firmly.

I rolled my eyes and turned to the vanity again. Hair? Check. Dress? I did a small twirl in front of the mirror and checked that off my list too.

For a second, something stopped me. My eyes zeroed in on the pendant resting at my collar bone. Sokka said I looked like my mom…and as I stared into the mirror, I could see her staring back at me.

"Oh no…" Toph said.

I jumped in surprise and turned towards Toph, rubbing my necklace in worry. "What is it?"

"I think he's here."

My eyes widened in surprise and I quickly turned to the mirror and dabbed a light stain on my lips.

"Uh-oh… He's going to the door." Toph patted me on the shoulders. "Kat, everyone is down there."

My face must have portrayed pure horror. "No…"

"What are you waiting for?"

My legs seemed to move before my mind even thought to run, and I raced out of the room and headed through the hall, mumbling profanities the whole way. I put on a burst of speed and rounded the corner, putting myself in full view of the group.

Zuko was the first one to look up and meet my eye. My heart immediately sped up and my breath caught in my throat.

His eyes raked over me and my stomach began to flutter.

Damn these feelings!

"Katara?" Aang asked.

I turned to see Aang and Sokka staring at me.

"What are you wearing?" Sokka asked, mortified.

"Uh…" I couldn't say anything; my mind was only concentrating on the feel of Zuko's eyes on me. No matter how hard I tried to squelch out the feeling, I was strangely happy. The primitive woman inside of me was proud I caught the attention of the alpha male. The strongest and most capable man I've probably ever met.

"Wow Katara, you look great." Aang rubbed at the back of his neck, a blush showing bright on his face.

Sokka was still making strangled sounds, and I wondered whether Toph was lying about Hanako being there just to get me in front of Sokka.

"I just, um…" I stalled.

Suddenly, I heard it. A knock at the door.

Relief and apprehension flooded my brain. Why had they all been downstairs? And why hadn't Toph told me earlier? I could have snuck out and avoided all of this. This was the worst. Now I had to deal with Sokka flipping out and that would be awkward for both Hanako and I.

I considered making a run for the door, but Sokka was already there, opening the door.

For a second, all you could hear was mumbling. Then, all of a sudden, Sokka jerked back as I struck.

"A date?" he screamed.

"Oh no…" I hid my face in my hands.

Sokka whirled around and stared at me. "You have a date?"

Could this get more embarrassing?

"Katara has a date?" Aang asked, his brows creased with worry.

"A date?" Sokka repeated.

Hanako stepped in, and I could see the confusion written on his face.

"Why didn't you tell us?" Aang asked.

"I can't believe it!" Sokka yelled.

"I didn't want _this_-" I gestured over at Sokka. "To happen."

"But…" Aang trailed off.

"A date?!"

I covered my face with my hands and groaned.

"You're going out…on a date…" Sokka's head whipped around to Aang and Zuko, and then finally back at me. "Looking like that?"

Finally, I couldn't take it anymore. Between Zuko's incessant stare, Aangs hurt expression, and Sokka constantly repeating 'a date?' over and over again…I think I'd rather fight Azula and her lackeys. Without a glance at anyone, I strode to the door, grabbed Hanako's arm and pulled him from the room, not even bothering to close the door.

"I'm so sorry…" I mumbled once I felt it safe enough to stop.

He laughed. "Really, no problem, I have a little sister… I kind of understand your brother."

I groaned. "Then I feel sorry for your sister."

He smirked. "Don't worry, I'll go easy on her."

"So…" I glanced around. "What are we going to do tonight?"

"Well, I thought I'd take you to a play… That is, if you don't mind."

I smiled happily. "That'd be great!"

He smiled back and led me through the packed streets.

**o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o**

"Oh come on, Zuko, get a hold of yourself." I paced my room, back and forth, back and forth; the floor would soon be worn down if I kept this up. But Agni, I couldn't relax, couldn't stop, and couldn't get the image of her in that damn dress out of my mind.

But why?

I had a girlfriend for spirit's sake!

I should be thinking of Mai this way, not Katara…

I tried to put her image in my mind. Her raven hair, her piercing eyes, her tall and elegant figure…

But Katara popped back in my mind. And I knew it was that dress's fault, it had to be. That _stupid_ dress hugged her hips, accentuated her waist, every time she breathed, it stretched tight over her chest, making her-

"Ah!" I yelled and punched my bed.

Damn that dress.

I closed my eyes and pictured her in her normal clothes. Her blue tunic and pants, her strange shoes, that weird tie she keeps around her wrist, the pendant that pressed up against my chest as I lay on top of her, her breath fanning over my skin, making me tingle.

I should have gotten off of her immediately, but I didn't. I should have planned better, attacked her differently, and somehow changed what happened. But by the time I realized we were falling, there was no time to shift my weight, and there wasn't anything to do but fall.

And now she was out with another guy.

Who was he anyway? When did she meet him? Does she know anything about him? His family?

Did she really like guys like that? Those pretty boys?

Does that mean I don't stand a chance?

No. Stop it, Zuko… You have a girlfriend. Mai is a wonderful girl, a little depressing, but she's nice to you (most of the time).

Would she have said yes had I asked her out? Would she have laughed at me?

No. Stop now. Meditate. Yes, meditation would clear your mind; it would make you forget about her.

But whenever you meditate, she thinks you're asleep… She'll think you have narcolepsy or something.

Well… It was her damn fault I had to meditate so often!

No, you don't care what she thinks about, remember?

Right?

Damnit! It was all Katara's fault…ever since she saved me that day I've been thinking of nothing but her. Why did she have to save me? I'm sure Aang would have saved me without any problem. But why Katara? Why did she care? I thought she hated me…didn't she? She does nothing but yells at me and hit me. But why did she save me? Did she like me?

I clenched my fist in fury. I had to stop thinking like this, but I couldn't. Oh Agni, I had to get out of here. I had to get some fresh air.

It was on my way down the hall, Sokka burst out of his door, a sheathed sword hung at his shoulder. It didn't take a genius to see that he was probably going to go after Katara's date.

For a second, I considered letting him go. I figured it could be beneficial to both of us… Sokka could get some practice, and that loser would be out of the picture.

No. Remember Zuko, Katara could do whatever she wanted. It's not like you even liked her or anything. How could you like a girl so infuriating and headstrong? Yeah, Mai wasn't infuriating, she wasn't headstrong. Katara made me want to claw my eyes out… Mai didn't. Katara made hair on the back of my neck stand. Mai didn't.

But Katara made your blood boil… In a good way. Mai didn't. Katara challenged you. Mai didn't. Katara was different from any girl you've ever met (which isn't many, but still…). Mai was just like them. She was the woman you were expected to marry. Mai would make the perfect, submissive, Fire Nation wife. The perfect, expected, Fire Lady. Katara wouldn't.

"Sokka." I growled.

He flinched and spun around, his face sheepish. "Zuko?"

"Where are you going?" I hissed, glancing towards the room Sokka just left, no doubt Aang was in there sleeping.

Sokka made a face. "Um… Nowhere…"

I folded my arms across my chest, having none of that. "Katara would kill you."

Sokka pursed his lips. "What do you mean?"

""Don't play stupid. You can't go after them."

"I, uh, wasn't going to…" he laughed nervously. "I'm going to get a snack."

"What's the sword for then?"

His eyes shifted around. "To cut my snack with…"

"Why not just use a knife?"

"I, uh… I wanted a big snack."

I felt like hitting him and laughing at the same time. "Right…"

He shifted on his feet. "You know what? I don't think I'm very hungry anymore… I should just… go."

Sokka made a run for it, but I was too fast. I ran after him and grabbed his shirt before he even made it to the door. "No, Sokka. Stop."

"But I can't let her-" Sokka tried to run again, but I held firmly. "What if he-"

"Then we will kill him, but you can't follow them."

"Yes, I can!"

"You know she'll find out."

He paused. "No, she won't." It was more like a question than a statement.

"Sokka…" I gave him a reproachful look and he frowned.

His face was wrinkled with worry. "But she-"

"I know…" I patted him on the shoulder and have him a push. "Now why don't you go outside and practice your forms."

"Okay…" His shoulders slumped and he trudged off towards the backyard.

"Do I have to come and check on you to make sure you're still there?" Man, I thought, I was starting to sound like the kid's father.

"No…" he mumbled and disappeared out of the door.

"Geez, kid, you have issues." A familiar voice called as soon as the door closed.

I smirked, turning to see Toph at the doorway to the room she shared with Katara. "Where do you get off calling _me_ 'kid'?"

Toph threw her head back and laughed. "You don't care about me saying you have issues, but you care about me calling you 'kid'?"

"Sounds about right…"

"Get your Fire Nation butt in here." She smiled and waved me into her room.

Normally, I would be very against going into a girl's room, but this was Toph… She was like the sister I always wanted. So, going against all of the etiquette I've ever been taught, I strode into the room like I owned the place. "Am I in trouble?"

"I'll say." She muttered.

I sat on a chair and rested my elbows on the table in front of myself. "What I do this time?"

"Oh, just general stupidity…" She waved me off.

I sighed. "I think that's the worst kind."

"I agree."

I leaned back in my chair. "So what did I do?"

"Oh, nothing really… You're just over here checking out Katara while you have a girlfriend." She replied nonchalantly.

"I was not checking her out!" I hollered.

She scoffed. "Yeah, I may be blind, but I'm not stupid."

"I didn't call you stupid." I mumbled bitterly.

"Are you even with Mai anymore?"

I shuffled my feet uncomfortably. "Yes, we never officially broke up."

"Even though she tried to kill Katara?"

I growled. "She wasn't going to kill her."

"Oh yes, she just stabbed her as a way of saying hello."

"Shut up." I moaned.

"You got it bad." She shook her head at me.

I narrowed my eyes at her. "No, I don't."

Her eyebrows shot up. "Zuko… You were in your room pacing for two hours."

"What?" I asked. "Two hours? That can't be true!"

She nodded her head. "Well, it is."

I groaned.

Toph stuck a finger inside of her ear and dug it around. "Just admit that you like her already."

"I don't like her." I insisted.

"Yes, you do."

"No, I don't."

"You can't lie to me."

"I'm _not lying._"

She folded her arms across her chest and gave me a pointed stare.

"I'm not!" I yelled back and did the same.

Toph leaned forward. "Here, let me try something."

"No." I replied obstinately. Last time I let her try something, she nearly broke my arm.

She smiled. "Mai."

"What are you doing?" I hissed in annoyance.

"Hm…" She nodded her head. "Katara."

Images of Katara floated into my head. One second she was sitting on top of Appa, the wind blowing in her hair, the next second she was smiling in elation after successfully waterbending. She was under me next; her eyes clenched shut, her scent filling my head.

"I know what you're doing… Stop it." I warned her. "I like Mai… I'm with Mai."

She rolled her eyes. "Yeah… That was why you were picturing Katara naked right then."

I gasped, shocked. "I wasn't picturing her naked!"

"Sure, you weren't." she slapped her knee and laughed.

My face was as red as a tomato. "I hate you."

"Oh, you're so easy."

"Toph. I'm only going to tell you this once." I stared straight into her unseeing eyes. "I don't like Katara. I can barely stand to be in the same room as her."

She smirked and winked at me. "I'm sure you can't."

I glared at her. "Stop it."

"Oh, so threatening…." She mock shuddered.

"I don't know why I put up with you." I rubbed at my forehead, suddenly tired.

"Wait…" Toph frowned for a second. "It looks like Katara is back."

I glanced out the window and saw Sokka drop his sword and sprint inside. The kid must have ears like a hawk, I hadn't heard the door open at all.

"Uh-oh..." Toph mumbled.

"What?"

"I think they're going to start fighting any minute…"

"How can you tell?" I asked.

Toph paused for a second, listening. "Katara's telling him what they did tonight."

"What did they do?" I asked, trying to mask my eagerness.

Toph turned to me and smiled with raised eyebrows.

"Not that I care." I mumbled.

She smiled her damn all knowing smile. "Of course you don't."

Anger boiled inside me. "I don't, why don't you-"

"Wait…five…four…three…two." She mouthed one, and then Sokka exploded with anger.

Sokka yelled. "He bought you something!"

"So what if he did!" she screamed back.

My anger faded, and was replaced by a strange emotion… Jealousy?

Sokka must have said something else, because seconds later, Katara was back to screaming. "I don't care what you think! This isn't the Water Tribe!"

"So what!? It's your culture!"

"I didn't even know about it until a month ago, cut me some slack!"

"Slack?!" he shrieked.

"That's it, back off now, or I'm going to cut you a new mouth." Katara threatened.

"But-" Sokka cut off.

It was then that I heard foot steps storming in our direction.

I should have left, gone to my room, but it all happened so quickly that I didn't have a chance to think let alone hide.

She burst into the door, not even glancing my way. "Can you believe him?"

Toph smiled at me. "Nope."

I could see the trinket on her arm. It was a green woven bracelet with the Earth Kingdom insignia on the front. Nothing expensive, nothing too inappropriate.

Good.

She began pacing. "Come on, Sokka, He got me a bracelet, its not like he proposed or anything."

Toph was still smiling. "I agree."

She walked to the vanity and began braiding her hair into her usual thick braid. "He can be so-" I could see her eyes zero in on me and she froze.

"I'll just…" I got up and began walking away. "Be leaving now."

I got out the door before I heard her yell. "Toph! Why didn't you tell me?"

**o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o**

"Make sure you have all of your stuff!" I yelled in the general direction of the bedrooms.

All I heard was grumbled replies.

I sighed and tapped my foot impatiently. I had been waiting for nearly an hour for Sokka and Aang to get packed up. I've probably said this before, but I have no idea how they manage to scatter their stuff everywhere. And of course, they didn't start packing until the very last minute, and thanks to their careful preparation (not), they had to find all of their lost stuff. You'd think Aang would have been done long ago, he is a monk after all… I didn't think they had too many possessions. But apparently not. I guess since he's been to so many places he was bound to pick up a few trinkets. And by few… I meant a whole ton.

At least I didn't have to worry about Toph and Zuko… They had already left and were probably with Appa right now. Lucky bastards. What was with those two anyway? They were practically inseparable! I know Toph was a great girl and all, but even I tired of her sometimes, even I wanted a break from her. But not Zuko, he seemed to seek her out. They were like best friends or something. They were probably skipping through a field of daisies right now…

Why had I stuck behind? Oh yeah, it was because of him… I don't think I could have gone with him without doing something stupid. And what did I mean by stupid? Well, I'm not sure… I just know I would regret it.

It wasn't until ten excruciating minutes later, that they finally came over with all of their stuff. "Ready?"

"Yeah…" They replied with enthusiasm.

"Good, now let's head out." I led the way out of the house and back to Appa.

It wasn't long before we found Appa; really, he wasn't that hard to miss. Had anyone been hiking or hunting near Appa, there was no doubt we would have been found out.

"Is Appa all packed up?" I yelled up to where Zuko was on the saddle.

He poked his head over the side. "What do you think I've been doing this whole time? Picking daisies?"

Toph burst into laughter. "Daisies… That's a good one!"

"Let's just go now…" I grumbled.

"Yeah, let's get to the Air Temple already; I haven't seen it in ages."

Sokka smiled. "I'm just glad we'll never see that kid-"

"Hanako." I corrected.

"Whatever." He rolled his eyes. "We'll never see him again."

We climbed into the saddle and I took the empty spot next to Sokka. Usually, I would sit with Zuko, but I didn't think I'd be doing that anytime soon.

Appa groaned as he took off and soared into the air. Hopefully, it would be early enough in the morning that not many people would be out and about; hopefully, they would all be asleep. If not, then they would have one hell of a story to tell their kids.

It was just seconds after we took off that it happened.

"What is that?" Sokka shielded his eyes from the sun and stared off towards the gate of the city.

I looked over and gasped. A cluster of red was marching towards the town. I had never seen a Fire Nation army before, but there was no doubt that was what it was.

"Is that…" Zuko began. "An army?"

I nodded dumbly.

"Oh Agni… This isn't going to be good…"

I tried to look away, but my eyes were drawn back to the sight of an army approaching the town. The same town that we just had vacation in.

"Aang!" Sokka yelled to him. "Turn around now!"

"What?" he yelled back over the roar of the wind.

"The Fire Nation! We need to help!" I screamed over Sokka's frantic yelling.

Aang jumped off the top of Appa's head and landed in the middle of the saddle. With one glance at the marching platoon, he paled. "Not again…"

"We need to help Aang." I rested my hand on his arm, sensing his reluctance.

He paused and nodded.

Zuko, in an act I didn't know him capable of, clapped him on the shoulder and gave it a reassuring squeeze. "Don't worry Aang, this won't be like the Air Temple."

His head snapped towards Zuko. For a few heartbreaking seconds, Aang just stared at Zuko, and then he nodded and jumped back onto his bison's head.

I grabbed Toph's hand as Appa swerved, and she held it in a death grip until we landed.

All together we jumped off Appa's head, and needing no words between each other, we ran towards the army.

The army broke through the gate easily, sending the few guards running.

An alarm sounded just as they saw us.

It all happened quickly. They rushed us and attacked with hate, pure hate, written all over their faces.

I was ready, excited, adrenaline coursing through my veins. Finally, all of my training would pay off; I would finally be able to prove that I was a warrior. That they had taught me well.

The man came at me, swinging his fist. I blocked it with my arm and roundhouse kicked him, knocking him off balance and onto the ground. I readied my orb of ice and hit him in the temple, knocking up unconscious.

I had no time for relief; another man had already replaced him.

I whipped him in the head and delivered a punch in his gut. He stumbled, but recovered quickly than his fellow soldier. He lashed out with fire, and I ducked, surprised. I brought a stream of water around and knocked him down with it. With one exhale, he was incased in ice.

He smirked and the water evaporated off of him with ease, leaving nothing but a puddle in its wake.

I frowned and attacked him again. Eventually, I caught him off guard and got him a good whack in the head.

My breath was short, sweat already coating me. I looked down at him and frowned. Even though they were trying to kill me, I would never be able to do that to them… I refused to.

"Katara!" I heard a voice yell.

I ducked a ball of fire and attacked back, knocking him flat on his back. When I was finally able to turn around, I was surprised to see Xin.

"Katara! You must come and help, there are too many injured."

"But they need me!" I looked over my shoulder and saw my friends engaged in battle, fighting for not only their lives, but for the lives of the people of this town.

"Katara!" his face grew grim. "We need you. You're the only one who can help!"

"But what if-"

It's your duty as a healer to save lives." He gestured at the carnage. "Not take them."

I…uh…" I wanted to be here, fighting alongside my friends, but I also knew that Xin needed me more. There was no doubt we would win, what with all of the earthbenders and us, so I knew what I had to do. "Lead the way."

He took me to a special medic tent that had been set up especially for him. The tent was something out of a World War One movie. Rows and rows of beds were lined all through the tent. Already, there were more than two dozen soldiers, all injured, broken, and bleeding.

"This is a first for me, but I'm going to be your assistant today." He told me. "You will be able to heal them almost instantly… I can't."

I gulped. "Can I do this?"

"I know you can." He took my hand and gave it a squeeze. "Start at the back of the tent, they've been here the longest."

I nodded dumbly, already overwhelmed by how many were injured this early into the fight. The only thing that got my feet moving through the shock was the thought that if I didn't move quickly, they might die.

"Okay." I called to Xin, my mind finally working correctly. "Please make sure they are attended to until I reach them."

Xin nodded and ran off.

"Lee!" I yelled, knowing he was somewhere around here.

He didn't disappoint. "Katara!" he yelled and ran over to hug me. "I'm so glad you're here! There's so many…"

"I know…" I grabbed him by the shoulders and looked him in the eyes. "You know more about these patients, we need to start with the soldiers that are worse off."

The first man was already unconscious. His head bandages were soaked with blood, and he was pale as death. His whole arm was bandaged up, telling me that Xin had already finished with him, already put a salve on his burns, but since I had the ability, I wanted to heal him completely.

I pulled water out of a bucket and formed a glove around his head, only leaving him a space to breathe. Color automatically washed back in his face, and I took my first full breath of relief. Next, I undid the bandage and cringed at the smell of burnt skin and herbs. The flesh underneath was red, oozing, and blistered. I called water and healed that quickly and easily, moving on to the next patient.

By the time I got to the middle, the beds behind me had cleaned out, and most of the soldiers dutifully gone back out to fight. But no sooner had these soldiers left, that the beds were filled again. The tide of injured never seemed to slow. I couldn't count the number of burns, stab wounds, and other injuries I've healed. This was all too much for me.

This wasn't the picture of war I had in my mind. This was much worse. Movies led me to believe that the good guys _always _won, the bad guys were _always_ dealt justice. The hero never got hurt. But all of these men were the heroes, all of these guys are the good guys and this tent was filled with them. It was enough to make me want to cry, but I couldn't. I had to be strong for these men. I could shed no tears.

The man to my left had been stabbed in the side with a sphere. The man to my right: caught on the wrong end of a firebenders fist. Now, his whole face was covered in blisters. Without me he would have gone through the rest of his life scarred and disfigured.

"Lee!" I called over my shoulder and began healing the shaking mans burns.

He ran up to me, his hair drenched with sweat, scrapes littering his arms. "What is it?"

"Hold his arm still for me." I commanded, pointing to his broken bones.

He nodded and grabbed him gently, but I could tell it was a solid grip. A thin sheen of sweat formed on my brow as I began healing his arm, but the time I was done, I was practically drenched with sweat.

I moved on to heal the stab wound and took care of it in less than a minute.

By now, I was exhausted, but I knew I couldn't stop.

"Katara! Are you okay?" Xin called to me while escorting a patient to a bed.

"Yeah!" I called; there was no reason for him to know I was about ready to collapse. He had faith in me, and I couldn't let him down.

I went on like this for another half hour, and then I got the best news of my life.

"Look, we're done…" Zee whispered as if afraid that if he spoke the words aloud, people would flood in again.

I franticly glanced around. It was true; all of the beds were empty. "Thank the spirits."

"Is it over?" Lee's eyes were filled with emotion. "Is it true?"

I nodded. "Probably…"

Xin walked over to us, and unlike me, he didn't look fazed at all.

"Lee." Xin placed a hand on his shoulder. "It's time to go home.

Lee's face grew grim. "Yes, doctor."

Once Lee was gone, Xin turned towards me. "We need to go out and look for injured among the bodies.

My stomach rolled, but I nodded. "Okay."

He grabbed my hand and pulled me from the tent, "I won't force you to do this Katara, if I can move them, I'll bring them to you…"

I wanted to hug the guy. "Thank you."

Xin took a deep breath and walked off. My eyes trailed after him, and I froze. Blood was everywhere; I had never seen something so horrible before.

All over the place, bodies lie on the ground. Some covered in blood, some bent at odd angles.

I bent over and retched, emptying all of my lunch onto the ground.

Where were my friends? How many people was I not able to help? How many people died here?

I clenched my eyes shut and opened them again, forcing myself to look around again. Scorch marks dirtied the ground, buildings, scarred the trees. The survivors all grouped together to one side, hugging each other, talking in hushed tones.

One ran over to me. "Are you the one who healed me?"

I nodded, not trusting myself to speak.

He lunged at me, enveloping my in a hug. "Thank you so much… I have a daughter…if I wasn't able to go home tonight, she would be crushed."

I smiled and hugged him back. "You're welcome."

"Katara!" Xin yelled and waved me over. "You must come here!"

I let go of the man and ran immediately to Xin, trying to ignore the sight of the dead. The man he stood over was breathing and conscious, but just barely. He was decorated with the armor of a Fire Nation soldier, and he held a large spear that he clutched to his chest.

"What happened to him?" I asked.

Xin shook his head. "Looks like someone got him with a boulder, crushed his legs."

I nodded.

"I'll be searching some more, I'll call you when I find someone." He ran off without waiting for my reply.

I took a deep breath and knelt down next to the man. "Sir? Can you hear me?"

His eyes silted open. "Go away."

"Well, he's conscious." I grumbled to myself.

"Leave me."

"Sir, I'm going to heal you now."

His golden eyes widened. "No, it is my time to die. Leave me."

"Well…" I pulled a globe of water and placed it on his legs. "If it really is your time, then you'll die regardless of whether I heal you or not. So shut up."

"I said go away." He yelled, but I could see the relief on his face. "I don't need help from a Water Tribe wench like you.

I flinched back, but continued on his leg anyway. Quite a few of his blood vessels had been severed, so I had to fix those first. After several minutes, I was able to move onto his bones. Those took a while, but most of the bone was able to be healed.

"Sir, I don't suggest you walk for a while, you need time to replenish all of that blood."

I moved on to an old Earth Kingdom soldier. Xin was already with him, applying pressure to a bleeding wound.

"Stab wound?" I asked.

He nodded. "Heal him quick, I'm pretty sure they got an organ."

I put the healing glove over his wound and examined it, using his blood to expand my sight. Just as the doctor said, his stomach had been punctured. This time, I was so tired that I had to force myself to heal him to the best of my ability. I wanted to fall asleep for a week and forget all of this ever happened. I wanted to go back in time and catch the army early so they would have no chance of injuring and killing so many.

Numbly, I finished with the old soldier and ran to where Xin was knelt over another man. The boy looked young, maybe around my age. He was lying on his back, so I wasn't able to see the damage.

"Is he alive?" I asked, trying to sound detached.

"Well… He's breathing…" Xin muttered.

With one movement, Xin carefully placed his arms around the boy's middle, and rolled him over carefully, supporting his neck.

Recognition hit me with the force of a train.

"Hanako?" I shrieked and immediately collapsed to his side.

He didn't look good. His face was ashen white, his breath coning in by short gasps. The large gash on his forehead was slowly leaking blood, which told me something was very wrong. Usually, head wounds gushed blood, but his didn't.

I placed my two fingers at the pulse of his neck and almost cried when I found a heartbeat.

"What happened to him?" I asked.

"Probably was surrounded… I can't tell."

I stroked the side of his dirt covered face. "Can you hear me?"

"Katara?" he mumbled weakly, his eyes still closed. With shaky movements, he tried to force himself up.

I caught him and cradled him to my chest. "Yes?"

He let off a horrible sounding cough; blood appeared on my blue tunic in specks. "I'm glad you're here."

Tears prickled at the back of my eyes. "Let me take a look at you."

He chuckled, a bead of blood forming on the corner of his mouth. "I think I messed up."

I laid him flat on his back and listened to his heart beat. It was slow, quiet. "Its okay, we'll get you fixed up."

"Good."

"Where do you hurt?" I brushed the side of his face again.

"My chest." He took a deep breath and cringed.

Xin knelt beside me. "He's the last."

I nodded and pulled out healing water.

"This will be a great story to tell my kids one day…" his words were slightly slurred.

I smiled weakly. "Yes, it will. You are a hero."

I placed the glove on his chest and it glowed weakly. My eyebrows furrowed… Something was wrong. Usually the water would be so bright it was almost blinding.

"Xin?" I pulled him roughly to a crouch. "What's wrong?"

He knocked my hands out of the way and started probing Hanako's chest. "Can you take a deep breath for me?"

Hanako nodded, but his frown deepened as he took a shallow breath and then broke into another fit of coughs.

"Katara…" His eyes searched for me. "I can't feel my leg…"

"Do you remember what happened to you?" Xin asked and turned Hanako's head to the side, checking his head wound.

"I don't…remember." Hanako frowned, a dribble of blood fell from his nose.

"Did they hit you in the head?"

"I don't think so…" he frowned when his slur became noticed by himself.

I frowned… How could he not know? Not remember anything? They obviously hit him on the head… Was this because of the head injury? Did he loose his memory?

"Follow my finger." Xin waved his hand in front on Hanako's face like a modern doctor, but Hanako's eyes refused to follow them.

"Katara… I've seen this before. It's a brain injury. He will die from this, but maybe you could do something." He didn't look at me; he barely moved his lips in fear Hanako would realize what he was talking about.

My heart shot up into my throat.

"You need to try, Katara."

"What's wrong?" Hanako asked.

"You were hit in the head." Xin was rigid, apathetic. "Don't worry, everything will be alright."

He closed his eyes and nodded, his face growing slack, his body limp, unconscious.

"No…" I breathed. "I didn't read anything about brain injuries…"

My mind completely shut down. I didn't think anything, didn't feel anything. The only thing that registered in my brain was that Hanako was going to die… And it would all be my fault.

"I can't - I don't know how…" I stuttered, unable to form a complete sentence.

"Katara."

He slapped me hard across the face, but I didn't even feel it.

"What if I can't - I don't…I didn't read about brain injuries, I didn't have time." Tears leaked down my face, falling to the ground like little bombs.

"Katara!" he yelled, his face finally showing emotion. "You must try!"

I hiccupped and continued crying. "I can't!"

"Your friend needs you!"

I opened my eyes, the world around me a blurry, bloody mess. "But-"

He grabbed my hand and roughly yanked it from me, placing it on Hanako. "Feel that!"

I nodded mutely, tears streaming from my eyes.

"That is life. He's still here. Don't let him die." I could hear tears in his voice.

I took a deep breath and nodded.

"Can you do this? Can you try?"

I nodded.

He shook his head and grabbed my face with both of his hands. My face was inches from his, our eyes locked. "Can you try?"

"Yes!" I yelled.

"Now, work quickly, he doesn't have much time." He placed my hands back on Hanako.

I could feel his heart below my hands; feel the blood in his body. I could feel the broken bones, the punctured lung filling up with blood. I needed to stop it.

With shaky hands, I forced myself to delve into his body, to be one with him. I was his blood, and when I commanded his blood to stop, it did. With one twitch of my finger, the blood stopped leaking into his lung, and with one easy movement, I moved the blood from it all together. His chest immediately began to glow from within, only a dull light showing from under his skin.

I swayed from exhaustion, but I couldn't faint, I couldn't stop.

My hands automatically moved to his head and healed the wound, leaving not a trace of the gash behind.

I took a deep breath and placed two glowing hands on either side of his head.

Through my bending, I could see it…I could see what was wrong with him. But I knew already that I wouldn't be able to fix it.

"Xin…" I whispered, afraid to speak aloud.

"You can do it…" he muttered back.

"There's blood flowing into his skull…his brain is swollen… I can't do it."

I closed my eyes and searched further in his head. The only thing I could think to do was to stop the blood flow to certain parts of his brain, but that would surely kill him.

"Katara… Do what you can." He sounded broken, his voice dead.

"Help me, Xin."

"There is no remedy for this… I can't."

"No…" I muttered. There was no was there was nothing I could do…there had to be something.

I continued searching through his head, I wouldn't give up. But at the same time, in the back of my mind I knew I was running out of time. I had to do it quick before it was too late.

Suddenly, it was as if the lights turned off, someone hit power on the tv and blackness as all that was left. I could no longer search through his head; I could no longer use his blood as a second sense. It was like I was blind. His body gave me nothing.

My heart went into hyper drive.

"Xin?" My eyes snapped open. "Xin! What happened?!"

"What is it?" he placed his hands on his head as if he could see what I was seeing.

"It stopped!" I screamed.

Xin's eyes widened and he franticly felt for a pulse.

After a few endless seconds, Xin told me what I already knew. "Katara… He's gone."

"No." I pushed Xin out of the way and put a glowing orb of water on his chest, right above his heart, but just as the water touched his skin, the water stopped glowing. "No…"

"Katara." He touched my arm, but I knocked him away.

I tried again and again, but nothing happened.

I wiped the blood off of his mouth and placed my lips on his. With one blow, his chest rose and I punped his chest. Again and again I did this, but every time I bent down to check for breath, there was no change. He was dead. Nothing would change that.

This wasn't happening. This couldn't be happening. My perfect little world was falling apart, and there was nothing I could do about it. I could do nothing but cry.

"Katara." He tried to touch me again, but I knocked him away.

"Don't touch me." I cried my voice cracking.

"Katara!" this time it was another's… Sokka's

I didn't even look up.

"There you are!"

Aang was next. "We couldn't find you, but look! We-"

"Oh Agni…" Zuko muttered.

"Hey, is that Hanako?" Sokka asked, his voice full of none of its usual mirth when mentioning that name.

A warm hand was placed on my shoulder. "Are you alright?"

My mind registered it as being Zuko's voice.

I didn't move, I couldn't…if I moved then it would all be true. Hanako would be dead and there would be nothing I could do about it.

"Katara." The hand squeezed gently on my arm.

I screamed with all of my broken heart. I screamed so loud that the town stilled, everyone pausing and looking at the girl above the body. The empty shell. I screamed for my friend, for the war… For all of the men and woman that have died from the war, a bloody massacre that I had hardly been taking seriously. It was like I was a spectator in the world… Until now. Now, it was all too real. My voice cracked, shattered from the scream. A rasp was all that was left.

A body appeared behind me, arms encircling me and squeezing me in a hug. I groped blindly for this person and hugged back, not even caring who it was.

Finally, exhaustion took over, and I collapsed into his arms… My vision fading, only the scent of dirt, sweat, and forest kept me from going completely.

**o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o**

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**Guys...this chapter seriously killed me to write. It was so damn hard! Ah! I still haven't recovered from this one! I think I'm just gonna crawl into a hole and die now. TTYL  
**

**And yeah...I killed Hanako. Just trust me, it was a lot harder for me than it was for you. I had practicly fallen in love with the guy. I had a back story for the guy, i had his personality all worked out and everything. I didnt think it would be hard, but man...I was SO tempted to let Katara heal the guy. So tempted. oh, and i didnt put the actual date in there because it wasnt really important, the only thing that was important is that Katara became friends with him. This WAS all platonic. Given enough time, Katara would have crushed on him, but she is like Zuko's soulmate or something, it wouldnt have worked out. I'm going to miss him...R.I.P Hanako- everyone probably hates you for coming on to Katara and all, but your creator loves you!**

**Ok, so please review! I want to at least hit 100 reviews within the next couple of chapters! Consider it a gift to me!**

**Oh, and p.s.- Did you guys like the Zuko's pov part? would you like me to continue putting his pov in every once in a while???**


	15. Overboard

**I'd like to thank my beta Really quick! She is awesome and has been helping me work out some plot issues I was having trouble with. Plus, she's not afraid to tell me when a chapter isn't up to par.**

**Enjoy!**

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**o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o**

Sokka was looking at me. Well, looking might not be the right word… Watching would be the better term. I could feel his eyes on me, waiting for me to react, to do something.

He thought I was going to snap any moment. Probably because I appeared to be so calm. I wasn't beside myself with anger, or I wasn't an emotional wreck, so to him that meant I was crazy.

But the truth is that I _was_ angry. I _was_ an emotional wreck. But also, I knew that exploding with anger wouldn't fix anything. There was no way I could turn back time. Those soldiers weren't coming back, _Hanako_ wouldn't come back. I _knew_ this. There was no going back, only forward. And although I would miss Hanako a lot, I knew he wouldn't want me to flip my lid.

I fiddled with my bracelet, my reminder of the seriousness of this war.

From the corner of my mind I saw Zuko's head turn to me. Was he looking for a sign that I had gone insane? Did he think I was going to snap too?

I turned to him with a raised eyebrow.

He didn't back down, his molten eyes stared back at me, the fire in his eyes burning bright.

What was wrong with him?

No…

What was wrong with me?

He seemed to have no problem looking at me, so why did it find it so hard to look him in the eye? Was I just being stupid? The effect he had on me made me want to strangle myself, but was that not the same for him? He seemed to be fine; _I_ was the one freaking out.

I shouldn't feel this way; he shouldn't have an effect on me. He _should_ feel the same to me as Aang or Sokka do… Hell, I'd rather have him feel like Toph did, but he didn't. If Sokka had fallen on top of me, I knew I wouldn't have reacted the way I did. Oh spirits, I hoped I wouldn't.

Did I like Sokka? As much as a sister could like her big brother.

Did I like Zuko? Hell no.

But even so, I grew to love them. I don't think I could leave them when the spirits decided it was time fore me to go. Or even worse, it would kill me to lose them to the war. Right then, I made a pact that I would do anything in my power to make sure I didn't lose anyone ever again.

Tears pricked at the back of my eyes, but I couldn't cry. This wasn't the place or time for tears.

I would never cry again. I would never allow myself weakness. Weakness led to loss.

If I hadn't been weak, if I hadn't shut down when faced with Hanako, I might have been able to save him.

I closed my eyes tightly and took a deep breath.

No tears.

I learned that as I held him body in my arms while Xin told Hanako's parents of his death. Xin told me over and over that I didn't have to come with him, that I shouldn't put myself through this. But he didn't understand, I _couldn't _stay behind. It was my fault he died, I _had_ to be there. There was no way he could have made me stay behind.

The bracelet on my wrist grew uncomfortably heavy. I rubbed at it and a lump grew in my throat.

No. I wouldn't cry. By my honor I would never cry again.

Hanako and many others had sacrificed their lives for mine, for the good of the whole world. If they could do something like that for me, then the least I could do was become a warrior worth dying for. I would become a healer as good as the best. I would fight, I would learn, and I would study.

All of this, I knew, would be brought back to my world with me, and I would become a better person because of their sacrifices.

I would not forget Hanako or the many soldiers that died. Always, in my heart, they would be there as the reason I fought for these people, this wonderful and amazing world.

Zuko finally looked away, and I almost cringed at the loss of their warmth.

Damn these feelings.

I stood carefully on Appa's back and began the slow crawl to the beast's head.

Momo chirped at my arrival, signaling my presence to Aang.

"Hello, Katara!" Aang yelled over his shoulder. "Don't worry, were almost there!"

I settled myself next to Aang. "Hey, do you think I could try that?"

Momo crawled off of Aang's shoulder and onto mine. "Try what?"

"Can I fly Appa?" I asked.

His face lit up. "Sure, come over here."

He shuffled over, and I crawled into his spot.

"Grab these." He handed me the reins and smiled.

"So I just hold them?" I questioned.

"Yeah, it's a straight shot to the temple."

"Huh." I nodded. "Okay."

Aang flopped onto his back and stared at the clouds floating by. "Easy, right?"

"Yeah." I tugged on one of the reigns lightly and Appa drifted to the side.

"Easy peasy." He muttered with a yawn.

I glanced at Aang and then back at the wide expanse of the ocean before me.

Without pausing to think about it, I snapped the reins, Appa jerked forward with a burst of speed and the air whipped my braid back. I leaned into the wind and let it blow over me.

Complaints made their way to my ears, but I ignored them. I needed the wind to blow my thoughts away, to erase the memory, to erase myself up until now.

I was a new Katara now, and there was no going back.

**o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o**

The first thing I did when I walked into my room was flop face first into my bed and groan. I was just so physically and emotionally tired.

Aang's three hour tour of the Air Temple, while fascinating and fun, left me wanting to cut my legs off to keep them from hurting. Why had I gotten rid of my sneakers again? Oh yeah, Toph said they were amazingly comfortable. I can't believe I listened to her, she doesn't even _wear_ shoes! Not that these weren't comfortable and cute, they were just…not as thick bottomed as I was used to. Walking on a rubble coated ground was practically torture.

I just wanted to curl into a ball and take a nice nap… No, not a nap. A coma might do it.

I mumbled a profanity; I wouldn't be able to sleep right now. I was way too awake for that. Maybe a bath would do the trick. Then, after a nice long soak I would be able to watch Aang train and to relax.

With effort, I stood up and made my way towards the room Aang pointed out to be the bathroom. But, about halfway there, something stopped me. I felt a mental tug, a small pull in the back of my mind that I recognized instantly as the call of my element. I changed course instantly and found myself walking through a forest.

That tug had never let me down in the past, so as I walked further and further into the forest, I had no worries that i would find myself lost and without water.

Soon enough, I found what had been calling to me, and the sight made me want to cry out in relief.

A natural hot spring.

It was as if the water knew what I wanted and led me to it.

As if they were on fire, I tore my blue clothes off and raced to the water naked as the day I was born. For a moment, I considered someone walking in on me, but I knew for a fact that everyone was in the temple. Toph and Zuko were off double training Aang, and the only thing that would lure Sokka out of his nap would be food.

That left me, myself, and I.

So as I dove in and groaned as the water washed away my aches, the only thing I worried about were the chances of a bear attack.

**o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o**

Aang collapsed onto the ground in exhaustion.

"Come on twinkle toes, that's it?" Toph yelled with a laugh.

Aang groaned and rolled over.

Good idea Aang, play dead.

Even I, who had been taught and trained since birth, was tired. Toph was a brutal teacher. No mercy, just tough love. And although I was pretty merciless myself, Toph frightened me a little. She would not be someone I wanted to mess with.

I walked over to Aang and nudged him. "Aang."

He looked up hopefully.

"Go and meditate." I ordered him.

His face fell. "But I don't want to meditate." He complained.

I rolled my eyes. "I said go."

He moaned. "But-"

I growled at him. "I am your sifu, if I tell you to meditate, you do it. If I tell you to go and wrestle a Moose Lion, you'd better go it."

Aang got up and slowly stomped away.

"Geez Toph., I'll never mess with you." I rubbed at a pain in my neck.

She laughed.

"Seriously, you are one tough teacher." I mumbled, sure she would hear me.

Toph practically cackled. "Yeah, you wouldn't be able to handle me."

"I _can't_." I corrected. "Remember the last time we fought?"

Her smirk widened to a smile. "Got you good."

"You almost killed me." I reminded her.

Toph looked unconcerned. "I wouldn't have done it."

I remembered the look she had on her face as she held the giant boulder above me. "Yes you would."

"You would have gotten away in time." She waved my concern away.

"Toph, you buried my up to my knees." I almost yelled.

"Well, then you're lucky Aang wandered in, aren't you?"

I shook my head at her. "I'll just stick to dueling with Katara."

Toph gave me a look. "You _would_ like to, wouldn't you?"

I turned away, my face red with embarrassment, and began walking off.

From behind me, I could hear Toph follow. "Oh come on, I'm just messing with you!"

I paused so she could catch up, and then we made our way to one of the many stone courtyards.

Immediately Toph chose to sit on a tall stone pillar, and I got to work on making a pot of tea. Somehow, that had become my job. Whenever we stopped everywhere, I would make tea, it was as simple as that. And for some reason, they actually liked my tea.

After I was done, I passed a cup to Toph. "Enjoy."

She took a sip and offered no thanks. I didn't expect it hough, if there was one thing Toph lacked, and the rest of the group would redily agree with me, it would be manners.

Sokka chose this moment to wander in from the bedrooms. It was obvious that he had been sleeping, his hair was sticking up all over the place and his clothes had become wrinkled.

I silently offered him a cup and he accepted it gratefully, not even pausing to sniff for poison (like he usually did) before he took a sip.

Before I could even pour myself some, Toph shoved an empty cup at me, and I refilled it. "You like tea?" I asked, sarcasm thick in my voice.

"I love tea." Toph mumbled and sipped at her cup greedily.

I smiled. "So do I."

"Hey, this isn't that bad." Sokka yelled in surprise.

Toph rolled her eyes and looked at Aang. "Hey, get over here!"

Aang snapped his eyes open and smiled. Normally, I would make him meditate for at least an hour, but even _I_ wasn't emotionless, he deserved a break after what Toph put him through.

Aang ran over, and I handed him a cup of tea.

He sipped his tea and smiled. "Hm… This is good, who taught you?"

My breath caught in my throat. "My uncle."

"Oh! Of course. He had a tea shop, right?" Aang nodded.

"Wait, who is this 'Iroh'?" Sokka asked.

Aang's brows furrowed. "He was the one who helped me rescue you at the catacombs, remember?"

Sokka nodded. "Oh yeah, I forgot."

Toph glanced at me curiously. "Zuko's uncle makes tea?"

"Yeah, Iroh was his name. He apparently had the best tea shop in Ba Sing Se."

"Yeah, them two have been following us since the beginning, it feels weird not seeing him."

Katara came into the clearing and sat in our circle. "What are you guys talking about?"

"Zuko's uncle." Toph supplied.

"Zuko has an uncle?" She asked.

Toph smirked. "Yeah, they've mentioned him before, his name's Iroh."

My heart was beating fast with anxiety and confusion. What would I do when they asked me where he was? Would I tell them or would I lie?

"Where is he, anyways?" Aang smiled at me, oblivious to my inner turmoil. "I thought he would have met us by now."

"He's not going to be meeting us." I spoke slowly, carefully.

"Really?" Sokka piped in. "That sucks. He was actually kind of cool."

"Why not?" Katara asked innocently. "Where is he?"

I new I needed to tell Aang, if I didn't, then he would never know how cruel my family was. But I wasn't sure I wanted everyone else to know.

_They need to know_, my mind told me. So with a sigh, I began my story.

**o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o**

"Eat up Zuko, it will be a long time until we have fresh fish again."

I nodded absently and forced down a bite of dinner. "We'll leave the Earth Kingdom tomorrow morning, right?"

Azula's smile was as sweet as honey. "Yes."

I knew better than to think that smile meant she loved me. "Good."

We ate in silence, I had nothing to say to her, and she had nothing to say to me. What were we supposed to talk about? 'Thank you Azula, for taking me back to see my father. Oh, by the way, did I tell you that I'm secretly afraid you'll send someone to my room to murder me in my sleep?' No, she could never know that I lost sleep at night, waiting to hear the click of my door opening. Why wouldn't I? She's tried to kill me before.

I would never forget the time Azula invited me on her ship and told me she would take me to father. Right away, I had been attacked. With the help of Iroh, I had escaped and soon began the long journey to the Earth Kingdom.

Why were you here? Why do you trust her _now_, when she's tried to kill you before? If it hadn't been for Iroh…

…Iroh…

He was in a cell right now. While I'm eating a decadent meal of roast fish, he was probably being made to starve.

I pushed my food away. There was no way I could eat this meal.

Azula's sigh was loud. "You're ruining dinner for me with all of this moping."

I shifted my legs under myself as a servant cleared away my meal. "I'm not hungry."

She rolled her eyes a me. "You've barely eaten anything for a week."

I flinched at the mention of a week. Had it really been that long? Had Iroh really been in a holding cell that long?

Oh Agni…

What was I doing here?

I stood abruptly and left the room. I couldn't deal with this; I had to get some fresh air.

The deck of the ship was large and empty, in other words, it was perfect. I immediately made my way to the railing and took a deep breath of fresh sea air. People milled around below the ship, shopping, heading back to their houses from a long days work.

The ports workers had no idea who or what was on this ship. Everyone thought we were a large merchant ship heading back to the Fire Nation with a ship full of cargo. What they didn't know was that our 'cargo' was living.

Suddenly, I felt a familiar touch on my arm.

I sighed as I turned to see Mai staring at me. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," I lied. "Why?"

"You're more down than usual…" She laced her fingers through mine and stood in front of my view.

"Than usual?" I repeated with a scowl.

She ignored my question and pulled me close to her so that her forehead rested on my chest. "Just tell me what's wrong, okay?"

I sighed and placed my hand on her waist, pulling her closer to me. "I'm just confused."

Mai remained silent, so I awkwardly plowed on. "I don't know if I did the right thing."

More silence.

I sighed and pulled away. "I'm going to bed."

She grabbed my hand and yanked me towards her. In one fluid move, she placed a kiss on my lips and walked away, leaving me alone in the dark.

I stared after her as she left, confusion and sadness filled my mind, and again, only one thing entered my mind. Why was I here?

I flinched as if struck. Why _was_ I here?

My mind began racing. She _said_ Father would let me come back, but would he really? I didn't kill the Avatar, I didn't even capture him… Why would he let me come home?

What would be waiting for me? A loving family? Or a trap?

I lit a fire in the palm of my hand and stared into the bright flames.

Who was the only one who loved me, who showed me affection? Iroh.

And where was he right now? Imprisoned.

I fisted my hand, suffocating the flame into nothingness.

What had I done?

**o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o**

I knew exactly where to go, my feet had walked these halls for days. My destination was clear. Iroh's cell. I had been there countless times to yell out my frustrations, but this time, I would be there for a different reason.

I passed my room and shrugged off my robe. I wouldn't need it anymore, I had everything I needed on me, a few pieces of armor, my swords, and money. Everything else I could get on the way.

At he end of the hall was a trap door that led to the holding cells. I remember the first time I crawled through the opening; the door was so old and misused that it took all my strength just to open it. But now, the door opened easily, only the weight of itself offering any trouble.

Iroh's cell was at the end of a long line of empty cells. Usually, they would be full of prisoners of war, or the unlucky few that had crossed Azula's path. But not today, Iroh was alone.

Too soon, I was facing him.

His back was facing me; it was as if he already knew I was coming. He probably did. I've come every night. In the beginning, I had done nothing but yell. Why had he done this to himself? He'd condemned himself to a life of prison. Why? Had he chosen the Avatar over me? After all of this time, why was he abandoning me now? After a day or two, I had nothing else to say, all I did was sit there in silence. I couldn't even say that I was sorry.

Even as I stared at him now, I couldn't say anything. I wanted to say I was sorry and that I was going to break him free. I didn't even know what we would do after we got out. If he wanted to go off and start another tea shop, I would follow him without complaint. I'd do _anything_ as long as it was with him.

I said nothing as I used the keys, that I had stolen after dinner, to unlock his door. Iroh was still as stone even as the door creaked open and I approached him. I placed my hand on his shoulder. "Cone on, Uncle, let's go."

Nothing.

I sucked in a breath. "I'm getting us out of here, we need to leave."

Silence.

"Iroh, lets go."

I clenched my teeth as the silence continued.

"Please."

Iroh shifted slightly, but didn't say a word.

"Say something." I begged.

Finally, after what seemed like a millennia, Iroh turned to me and looked me in the eye. "How will we get out, what will we do after we escape? Where will we go? What will we do?"

My mind spun, and I stuttered out a reply. "I don't know."

He looked away from me.

"But I don't care!" I yelled. "I just want to be with you, my real father."

He glanced back up at me, his matted hair obscuring his eyes. "Is this what you want?"

"Yes!" I pleaded.

"And if I say no?"

Slowly a lump formed in my throat, and my eyes began to water. I couldn't do this, if he wasn't going to come with me, what was the point of leaving? I didn't want to go out into the world alone. Unloved.

I collapsed onto the ground and hugged my knees like a child.

"Then I stay right here with you. I was a fool to believe I'd be able to go back to my father and act like the past few years had never happened. I couldn't pretend he didn't do this to my face." I pointed to my scar.

He brushed his hair out of his face and looked down at me, waiting.

"I'll stay with you because I love you." I choked out, unused to saying those words.

He gazed down at me and extending his hand. "Let's go."

A tear made its way down my cheek, but I wiped it away and let him help me up. "Thank you."

He ignored me. "Do you have a plan?"

"Not really." I admitted.

A twitch of a smile played on his lips. "Well then, may the luck of Agni be with us…"

I smirked and unsheathed my swords. "May it be."

Both of us sprung into action, racing down the hallway and up the ladder, myself in front, and Iroh covering my back. We've done this time and time again, so both of us knew exactly what to do. We also knew to always stay on our guard, just because most of the crew was on shore leave didn't mean soldiers didn't stay behind. There was also the terrifying possibility of meeting Azula.

So as we raced through the halls and out onto the deck, it came as no surprise to see that Azula was waiting for us. No, what surprised us was that she had the whole crew assembled on the ship.

"Oh Zuzu… You didn't think I'd just let you leave like that." Her eyes shifted to Iroh. "And you have Uncle with you, how sweet. Maybe you guys could go and start another tea shop together."

I got into a fighting position with Iroh at my side.

"I can't believe you thought I wouldn't know about your plans." She sauntered towards me. "You've been acting strange all day, and this _would have _been the perfect night to leave. I'm just surprised you brought Iroh with you, I would have left him to rot." She stopped a few feet in front of me and smiled. "Now I'll have to kill you both."

I narrowed my eyes and gripped my swords. "We won't be the ones dying tonight."

Her smirk widened. "If you wouldn't have brought, Uncle, he would have stayed alive. I would have taken him to the nicest prison, the one with the best beds. Now he'll die here with you. He'll die a traitor, _like you_."

The masked soldiers began to surround us.

"They're awaiting my orders. Any last words?"

Air came out of my lungs in short, scared breaths. "I'll see you on the other side, Iroh."

With an unheard command, they began their attack.

I kicked out and sent a soldier flying back and out of sight, hopefully over the railing, but as soon as he was gone, another was there to take his place.

I felt Iroh's back shift behind me and knew he was about to duck, so I swung around and sliced off the end of his sphere which had been about the impale Iroh. With a blast of fire, he was sent to the ground, shaking and screaming.

A blow reached my chest and sent me stumbling back into Iroh, but he kept me upright, and without looking he sent a blast of fire at the soldier, blasting him out of sight.

Before I had the time to look around, soldier sent fire at me that hit my stomach, burning away the cloth and exposing my light leather breastplate below. I swiped my sword at him and cut him right across his chest, sending him to the floor.

Iroh spun me around and pushed me down, out of the way. I clenched my eyes shut as his hands spat out a brilliant blue, stunning and blinding the soldiers attacking.

"Zuko." He yelled before they recovered. "You must go."

"Go where, do what?" I stuttered.

I jumped back up and swung out at the soldiers, slashing and stabbing them, sending out streams of fire to keep them at bay.

"You know where to go, who to find."

The Avatar's image entered my mind.

The soldiers regrouped and attacked again, stabbing, jabbing, punching, fire flying everywhere. I had to slit my eyes so I wouldn't be blinded by the light from my own element mixing with theirs.

"Iroh! No!" I screamed.

"Leave!" he yelled.

The soldiers closed in on us, forcing up apart.

I glanced over my shoulder at Iroh one last time and a feeling of dread came over me. This might be the lat time I saw him alive.

With renewed vigor, I jumped into the fight.

They came after me from all sides; the only thing keeping me alive was the training I received from Iroh.

I slashed at the chest of the man in front of me and blocked the strike of another using my armored forearm cuff to deflect his blade. I spun around and punched out a fist full of flame at another man and ducked just in time to miss another's blade.

A hand reached out and grabbed me, and I twisted out of his grasp, with a crunch, my sword went through his armor and into the flesh below. He fell to the ground, on top of his fellow comrades. The sight made me nauseous, but I had no time to stop, I had to keep myself alive.

I spun my swords in front of me and blocked their attacks. The reflection on the swords told me Iroh was still fighting strong.

Their attacking never ceased, and neither did mine. If I stopped at any moment, I knew Azula would have won. There was no was I was going to let her win.

Suddenly, the soldiers retreated.

My head snapped around in surprise, and what I saw made me stop in my tracks.

Iroh had started attacking Azula and now the soldiers were running to protect her.

A soldier kicked him in the back of his knees and put him in a choke hold. After that, the rest of the men descended and I could see him no more.

A strangled cry of furry left my lips, and I ran for them, but Azula stepped towards me and stopped me in my tracks.

"What are you doing?!" I screamed at her.

She tilted her head to the left. "I told you, I'm killing you both."

I couldn't breathe, I couldn't think.

"Iroh!" I screamed, my voice hoarse.

"No use…" she muttered.

"Please…" I begged, my eyes still transfixed on the sight of them beating my struggling uncle.

For the briefest of moments, Iroh's eyes met mine, and I knew he was doing this for me. He had attacked Azula so I would be able to get away. I had – needed – to get out of here.

But as I met eyes with Azula, and saw that her fingers were sizzling with electricity, I knew it was too late. Even if I deflected the lightning, I would still die here. Without Iroh, there was no way I'd make it out alive.

She lunged out, aiming a perfect bolt of electricity at me, and I watched it come. I didn't move, didn't try and block it. It was coming too fast. I was done, I gave up.

What happened next, happened in slow motion.

Just as the lightning was about to hit me, a figure jumped in front of me and deflected the lightning, aiming it back at Azula.

Time sped up again and Iroh grabbed me and pulled me to the railing. "Go now."

My mind didn't seem to work. "How did you-"

He squeezed me tightly in a hug and then pushed me away. "Leave!"

"But-"

Sadness entered his eyes. "Goodbye, Zuko."

My mouth opened in shock. "Iroh-"

Without a second's hesitation, Iroh pushed me over the railing and into the water below.

I hit the water hard and gasped in the ice cold water. The water was pitch black from the darkness, I couldn't see anything, only the last pathetic bubbles of air leaving my lungs. Panicking, I tried to swim to the surface, but my armor was weighing me down. I kicked off my leggings, arm guards, and leather breast plate, and pushed my way to the moons reflection. As soon as I reached the surface, I gasped in a breath of air and retched into the water.

Still shaking, I glanced up at the boat, but I couldn't see anything. No Iroh, no anyone.

For a second, I thought Iroh jumped over after me, but one quick glance around told me he didn't. He was still up there, fighting a whole ship full of soldiers and one Azula. For him, I had to survive.

I stared up at the ship one last time before I swam off. Where was I going? I had no idea. But one thing was for certain, it would be far away from here.

**o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o

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**Pls R&R.**

**I'm going to bed now.  
**


	16. The Spar

**Here is a little warning for you guys: I just got my wisdom teeth removed, so I may or may not be on Vicoden while editing this. Um…you've been warned, so if there is anything I missed, I'm sorry.

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**o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o**

"I did not!"

"Yes you did!"

I slammed down my bowl of rice and glared. "Sokka, why would I even go in your room, let alone steal your socks?"

He threw his hands into the air. "Well, someone did it!"

"Well it's not me." I rolled my eyes. "I would never go near the things."

"I remember kicking them off by the bathroom…" he muttered.

I picked my rice back up and smiled. "They probably grew legs and crawled off."

He shoved a large amount of food in his mouth and grinned. "Ha ha."

I chuckled. "Maybe you should have brought more than one pair."

"Takes up too much room." He mumbled.

I took the last bite of my dinner and spoke after I swallowed. "Well, if you didn't grab a souvenir everywhere you went, you might be able to fit them in your purse."

"Bag." He corrected.

"Whatever you say Sokka."

"Just go back to your sewing." He mumbled, offended.

I shook my head, but did as he said, picking up my needle and thread. Lately, every time I looked at my blood spattered tunic, it made me ill. With a bit of trepidation, I decided to take my new green dress and turn it into a new outfit. I took no pleasure in cutting off the bottom and turning the extra fabric into pants. Actually, it would have to have been shorts had I not ripped out the second layer of fabric and used them instead.

Now, I was just finishing up the final details. Soon, I could take this unsightly thing off and get rid of it. The blood of soldiers stained the outfit so badly, that if I didn't get rid of it, I knew I'd never be able to move on.

As usual, Toph and Zuko wandered in from whatever they were doing and joined Sokka in eating dinner.

"Where were you?" Sokka asked the duo.

"Oh, nowhere important."

"My socks are missing, have you any idea where they are?" he asked, jumping to the point.

Zuko's upper lip rose. "Ew."

I had to stifle my laughter.

"Oh no, those things are loose?" Toph grumbled, but whether sarcastically or not, I couldn't tell.

"My socks aren't that bad." Sokka pointed out.

I cleared my throat and continued finishing the hems of my pants.

"What are you doing?" Aang's voice came out of nowhere.

I jumped, startled at his sudden appearance. Before dinner, he had announced he would be off in search of a bathing spot. I had not expected him back till long after sunset. "Sewing."

Aang nodded and smiled. "I have something for you."

I glanced up and raised my eyebrows. "Really?"

"Yeah." He held out a hand to help me up.

I put down my stuff and allowed him to pull me to my feet, aware that we had drawn the attention of the rest of the group.

Aang pulled out a small woven bracelet, not unlike the one that already rested on my wrist. "I made this for you!"

Aang looked so proud that I could do nothing but smile. "Oh, you did?"

His smile grew as he happily fastened the bracelet on me. Do you like it?"

I nodded, not trusting myself to speak. My fear was that I would sat something I would regret. The bracelet was lovely; it just wasn't the same. "Thank you."

I twisted it around, examining the design, a strange set of swirls.

"I'm glad you like it." His face went red and he turned and scampered off to join Toph as she lazily drew patterns into the dirt with her foot.

Zuko glanced at me and gave me a look that I perceived to mean he knew way too much.

I quickly sat down and went back to sewing my clothes, but soon after, a cup of tea was pushed into my hands. I glanced up to see Zuko standing above me, staring at me intently. "Are we sparing tonight?"

I took a deep breath. We hadn't spared since we got here and a match was long overdue. I was ready though; I had done nothing but sneak off and practice for days. Finally, I'd be able to take him on. "Yes."

His smirk sent butterflies into my stomach.

A groan escaped my lips. Hopefully, when I finally kicked his ass, I'd stop feeling this way.

"You guys still spar?" Sokka groaned loudly.

I rolled my eyes. "Yes."

Sokka got up and walked away, muttering about my sparring with Zuko being pointless. He joined Toph and Aang and immediately began talking to them.

After a few seconds, Sokka motioned me over.

I joined them hesitantly, unsure if I was in trouble or not. "Yes?"

They glanced over my shoulder at Zuko, who was tending the fire. "Ok, here's the deal. We've been talking about this since yesterday, and we were wondering what you thought."

I frowned. "What is it?"

"Before I tell you, if you don't want to do this, or if you don't think you're ready, you can say no and we won't do it."

My brows furrowed. "Tell me."

"Well, Aang and I were talking, and Toph agrees, that we would be a lot better off with Iroh."

"Zuko's uncle?" I snuck a quick glance at Zuko. "Does he know?"

"No, we didn't want to mention it at all until we had an answer from you. "Yes and we'll go, no and we'll never speak of this again."

I rubbed at the back of my neck and addressed Aang. "what do you think?"

"Katara…" Aang mumbled. "I think we need him."

"Ok." I nodded. We'll do it."

Everyone smiled and Sokka walked past me towards Zuko.

**o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o**

Today was my day. Today…he was going down.

I would conquer this- no, him- and be the master of my feelings. I would no longer like the way he talked, the way he smiled, the way his butt looked when he walked. I would beat him and go back to the lovely time I hated him, where we couldn't go a day without fighting. How long had it been since our last argument? Too long. Once this was done, I would think of him no longer.

Stretch Katara, stretch out first and think about this later. I pulled my arm across my chest and continued to glare.

Zuko found this amusing and he chuckled. "Yes, I'm sure anger will help."

I rolled my shoulders and bent over to touch my toes. "Today is my day."

"To lose?" He questioned and copied my toe touch.

I ignored him and jumped back and forth on my feet before getting into a bending stance.

"Whenever you're ready." He commented and got into his own stance.

"Don't go easy on me."

"I'll make you prepared for tomorrow's rescue mission, I'll just say that."

"Yeah. Then maybe Iroh can spar with me." With a flick of my wrist, I pulled an orb of water out of the river. Zuko roundhouse kicked out a stream of fire at me. I pulled my orb, stretching, it, hardening it until the point that it absorbed the fire easily, turning onto steam.

I ran forward, water trailing after me. With a flourish, I pulled the water over my head and slammed it into the ground. The water splashed, and before it hit the ground again I used my momentum to pull it back up and throw it at Zuko. Moments before the water hit him; I clenched my fist and exhaled, turning it into sharp frozen shards.

His eyes widened. He spun, encasing himself in a ball of fire. The water burnt into steam upon contact. With no hesitation, Zuko rose and spread his arms, expanding his circle of fire, sending it my way.

From the river, I pulled a wall of water and used it to shield myself from the blast. Flames licked past me, singeing the hairs off my arms. I let the wall melt immediately, but Zuko was gone. My body froze, I was alert, looking for any movement and listening for any strange sounds, but Zuko was gone. Only the sound of crickets chirping met my ears. Where was he? He _had_ to still be here, he wouldn't give up and leave.

An arm snaked around me and I gasped. Zuko grabbed my arms and pulled them behind my back, forcing me to my knees. I struggled and bucked, but he held firm. With one push, I was on the ground, my cheek against the gravel.

He knelt on top of me, pressing my wrists into the small of my back, leaving no way to escape. He leaned over slowly, bringing his lips to my ear. I could feel his hair brush my neck, covering it in goose-bumps.

"I win." He whispered. My breath caught in my throat as his breath ghosted over my ear.

I had to suppress a shiver as I craned my neck around to look at him. "You wish."

He chuckled and blew lightly in my ear. An innocent yet erotic gesture that sent my heart pumping.

I stiffened and turned my head slowly back to the ground. With no other way to get out of this, I did the first thing that popped into me head. In one move, I brought my head back, crashing it into his forehead.

Immediately, pain shot through my head.

Zuko groaned and rolled off of me, clutching his forehead. "Oh Agni…" he groaned.

"Ouch…" I whimpered in pain and used the water around me to form a healing glove.

Zuko's eyes shot to mine. "Why…would you do that?"

My headache went away as soon as the glove touched my head. "I'm sorry…"

"Did that seem like a good idea to you?" he took his hand off his forehead and winced in pain, already a red welt was forming on his skin.

"Didn't think that one through." I admitted.

He groaned. "Don't ever do that again."

I crawled over to him and soothed his head with my water. His eyes closed and his head tilted back in bliss as my healing powers worked over him.

My breath caught in my throat. Why did Zuko have to look so hot? The moonlight reflected off his pale skin, and with his lips parted in relaxation, he looked more like a statue of a Greek God than an annoying teenage boy…

His golden eyes flicked open. The fiery orbs staring my in the eyes. "Thank you."

I flinched and the water fell to the earth. Why did he have to use that voice? It sounded so…husky.

He stared up at me, a slow smirk tilting his lips.

Damn these feelings!

In anger at myself and him, I snapped a water whip at him, knocking him over and giving myself time to recover.

Immediately, he got to his feel and ran at me.

I pulled water into my hand, encasing my arm in ice. With a smile, I charged, meeting him in the middle, fist to fist.

Zuko, seeing what I did, encased his arm in fire and swiped at me. I ducked out of the way and punched at him. With no problem, he knocked my arm out of the way, fire and ice meeting and melting,

I blew on my ice gloves, making them harder, harsher. I sidestepped a kick from Zuko and punched out at him, surprisingly enough, the hit connected. Without a second to waist, I let the water melt, surround him. His eyes widened, but before he could do anything, I made my move. With a jerk, I pulled him forward and hooked my led behind us. I pushed him backward and he tripped over my leg, falling to the ground.

In an imitation of his earlier move, I straddled him, holding him in place, in one move; I bent an icicle and pressed the sharp edge to his throat.

He stared up at me, a small smile playing on his lips.

I bent over him and brought my lips to his ears. "Now I win."

He froze, and I couldn't contain myself. I stood and started laughing uncontrollably. "You should have seen your face when you fell!"

He got to his feet and brushed dirt off of his clothes. "Congratulations."

I had to wipe a tear from my eye. "Oh man…that was funny."

Zuko avoided my eyes. "Alright, let's go."

"Wait…" I paused, "are you angry?"

"No."

My eyes widened. "Yes you are!"

"No I am not!" he mumbled, but his jaw was set.

"You're mad that I beat you, aren't you?"

He folded his arms across his chest. "This has nothing to do with the fight."

I smirked. "So you _are_ angry."

He glared at me. "Just drop it."

"Not until you tell me why you're angry."

He growled.

I put my hands on my hips. "So you're mad at me…"

"No! I'm angry at myself!"

I sighed. "Listen, its no big deal, okay? Just because I accidentally hurt your ego, that doesn't mean you have to take it out of me."

"This isn't about you!" he yelled.

I smirked. "Isn't it?"

"Well it is, but its none of your business!" he yelled. "Just drop it!"

"If it's about me, then it _is_ my business!"

"Drop. It."

"This is stupid. Just because I finally beat you…"

He walked over to me threateningly and stopped a foot from me. "This isn't about you beating me. I knew you would eventually beat me anyways, this is about something else!"

"Then why are you angry?" I poked him in the chest and glared at him.

"Don't poke me."

I smirked and poked him again, harder this time.

"Do it one more time…" He threatened.

His eyes were on fire as he glared at me, and I knew a storm was coming. He had never looked this frustrated, so pissed off before.

But I was just as angry. With force, I poked him in the chest.

Suddenly, he closed the last few inches between us and our lips met.

My hand suddenly fell to my side and I froze. Instantly, my eyes widened and I jerked back, putting distance back between the two of us.

Oh spirits, what just happened?

He stared back at me, his face full of nothing but shock.

Why had he kissed me? I thought he hated me. We were just fighting for spirits sakes! Was I wrong? Did he not hate me? Or was this an impulse he would regret later.

And why had I liked it?

My breath caught in my throat

Why had the feel of his lips on mine sent a shock through me?

Did I like him? No, that would be crazy, stupid, impossible. But there was no denying that when he touched me, sparks flew. That brief second his lips were on mine made my heart go crazy. And strangely enough, I wanted him to kiss me again. No, that would be dangerous. There would be no guarantee that I could separate liking his touch, from liking him.

But, there was only one way to find out, and as I stared into his shocked eyes, I knew there was only one thing I could do.

I grabbed him by the hair and pulled him into a kiss.

There was no pause, no shock; it was like he had been waiting for me to do this, like he was expecting this. But he couldn't have been, I hadn't even been expecting it.

As soon as our lips touched, the spark was instant, intense. His lips moved against mine softly, gently, but there was an undeniable roughness to his kiss. Right away, something inside me snapped. My self control, my very pride, went out the window. It was like I was on fire and he was the only thing that would put out the flames.

I wrapped my arms around him, sliding my hands up his shirt, gripping his back.

We separated briefly, both gasping for air. Our eyes met, both full of emotion. He didn't say a word, just stared into my eyes. The only warning I had before he kissed me again was the brief flick of his eyes to my lips, then…we were on each other again.

His tongue slid against mine and my head spun as they battled. I grabbed his shoulders and hoisted myself on him, wrapped my legs around his waist to hold myself up. He stumbled forward until I felt the hard bark of a tree behind me.

I groaned into the kiss as his hands finally slid under my shirt and grabbed my hips, pulling me further into him.

He released my lips and kissed down my jaw, my chin, his hot breath ghosting over my skin. His teeth scraped down the side of my neck, sending tingles down my body. Teeth latched onto my collar bone and sent a bolt of lightning through me.

Suddenly, he froze, stiffened. The moment his muscles stiffened under my touch. I finally realized what had happened.

I backed up, tried to scramble away, but I was wedged between Zuko and the tree. The only thing I could do was duck out of his way and go, but before I did, he stopped me.

"Katara." he whispered, his hand on my arm holding me still.

"Oh spirits." I whispered, mortified. _He_ kissed me first; did that mean he liked me? Was he about to make a confession? _Did_ he like me? He couldn't, he wouldn't, he better not. What would I do if he did? Would that make things awkward? Oh no…wasn't it already awkward? I kissed him! Why?

I had to ask him. "Do you like me?"

He backed up so fast it was like I had held a gun to his head. "What?!"

"Do…you…like…me?" I asked slowly, my face red.

"Oh Agni no!" he waved his hands in front of his face, but a second later, he stiffened. "Do you like me?"

I gasped. "No, no, no. No way."

He looked relieved. Too relieved. His whole body relaxed and his face, which had looked horrified, almost angry, was now looked peaceful. And why that made me angry, I wouldn't know. But for some reason, I was pissed. Was I that undesirable? Was there something wrong with me? Was I not good enough for him? How could he be _that_ relieved I didn't like him? What if I did? Would he have turned me down?

I mentally slapped myself. My mind had definitely gotten away from me that time.

But still…did he really not like me?

No, it doesn't matter. Why? Because you _don't_ like him. That kiss meant nothing. Absolutely nothing.

I turned away from him and walked away.

Somehow, my hand made its way to my kiss swollen lips. Man, he was a good kisser. I wasn't very experienced in the make out category, but with him I didn't need to be. Was he experienced? Did he kiss many women? Well, Zuko was a prince; he probably had the daughters of nobles crawling all over him. Did he kiss all of them?

Geeze, if I didn't stop this now, I'd develop an aneurysm.

I groaned. "What am I going to do?"

Suddenly, it came to me. Toph. Toph would help me.

Right?

**o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o**

"Toph!" I yelled, running through the hallways towards her room. I rounded the corner and burst through her door, not bothering to knock.

She was nestled in a cocoon of blankets. Her hair was a mess, like she just woke up. Sleepily, she replied. "What?"

"I need your help!" I begged and sat at the foot of her bed.

"What happened?" she asked, finally curious. "Your heart is going crazy."

"I kissed him!" I yelled.

"Wow. Hold on a second." She snapped in front of my face, getting my attention. "Kissed who?"

"Zuko." I wailed and flopped face first into her sheets.

"You kissed Zuko?" she asked.

"Yeah." I mumbled into the bed.

"You…Kissed Zuko." She repeated, I could hear the smile in her voice.

I moaned in answer. "But he started it!"

"So _he_ kissed you?"

"Well, I _did_ kiss him back…"

She chuckled. "So you liked it?"

I gave Toph an exasperated look. "That doesn't matter. What do I do?"

"Well, usually when you like someone, you kiss thim…right?"

"But I don't like him!" I yelled into my hands.

She mumbled something under her breath and rolled her eyes. "Both of you are crazy!"

"What do I do?" I moaned.

"You're screwed…" she shook her head.

"Screwed?" I shrieked.

"Yeah, screwed." She muttered and rubbed at her eyes tiredly.

"How?"

"Because…" she sighed. "you're delusional."

"Delusional!?"

"Yeah." She yawned. "You like him."

"No I don't!"

"Then why did you kiss him?"

My mouth snapped shut and it took me a moment before I was able to speak again. "I don't know."

"you like him."

"I do?"

"Yeah."

I stayed silent, thoughtful. "I'm not sure I do."

"Well, it doesn't matter anyways, want to know why?"

I groaned. "Why?"

"Because…" she yanked her blanket over her head. "Zuko has a girlfriend."

"He has a _what_?" I gasped.

**o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o**

"You told her _what?_"

Toph groaned and rolled over, ignoring me.

"Why?"

"She needed to know."

"Oh, so now you care?!"

"I _don't_ care." Toph pulled a blanket over her head and groaned.

"Then why?" I flopped onto her unused bed and sighed.

"I like you ok? In a strange way, you're my best friend." She finally pulled the blanket off her face and looked at me. "I did this to help, better she finds out now then before you get in too far."

I am _not_ going any further into this." I insisted. "trust me."

"Look, this is the second time a delusional person had barged into my room and woke me up." Toph snuggled into the dirt floor. "Can we talk about this later?"

I pulled myself upright and stared down at her as she dosed. "We _will_ talk about this."

**o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o**

* * *

**Not as long as the last few, but hey...the kiss makes up for it, right?**


	17. The Volcano

**Why am I uploading this so late??? Well, I've had two jobs for the last month, and I finally quit one two days ago. I've been writing little bits and pieces of this in a notebook for all of that time, but I still needed to add the connective tissue. Well, if it makes you feel less angry at me, I an honestly stay that I stayed up until ungodly hours last night to write this?**

**Cuz I did.**

**Anyways, I enjoyed writing this one...i hope you like it!  
**

* * *

**o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o**

Zuko was up first, as usual, and got to work immediately on drawing us a map. It was amazingly detailed, like a blueprint of the Fire Nation and its surrounding islands, big and small. He poured over the huge piece of parchment, most likely pilfered from Sokka, and drew in and labeled major landmarks and most importantly, prisons where Iroh could be.

I stared at him as he did this, a scowl on my face, anger still boiling in my gut. Last night, fury had gnawed at the back of my mind, chasing away at my sleep. The dark circles under my eyes were the only evidence of the tossing and turning that I had endured last night.

His hair fell in front of his eyes, and with a distracted motion, he ran his fingers through his long mane of hair, pushing it back out of the way.

How could that idiot be so nonchalant? Yes, he was doing something important right now and shouldn't be interrupted, but he owed me an apology. It was his damn fault I kissed him! I would have never done it had he not kissed me first, putting ideas into my head.

No, he didn't owe me an apology, he owed his girlfriend one. I growled. How could he do this to me- no…her?

What kind of girl was she anyway? In my head I pictured a tall woman, golden eyes, skin like porcelain, white like ivory, hair as black as a raven's wing. Her manners would be excellent, her dress would be proper and stylish, the height of fashion. Every time she talked, something smart and interesting would be said. The perfect woman for a prince. But for Zuko? Probably the opposite of what he wanted.

The perfect woman. A princess or dignitary's daughter who is sixtieth in line for the throne or something.

Poor sap.

Zuko was definitely not worth her time, definitely not worth the trouble. When they got married, and they probably would (didn't people at this time get married at 14 or something?), she would be miserable, and hopefully, so would he. The guy deserved it.

Sokka caught my attention, waving me towards where he and Toph were sitting. With one last glare at Zuko, I made my way to them.

"Zuko's almost done with that map and then were going to figure out a plan. I said we should just get on Appa and go, but he said-" he cleared his throat and did his best to imitate Zuko. "'You can't go barreling into something like this. Its way too complicated.'"

I smirked. "You do tend to barrel."

He rolled his eyes. "This is no big deal, Aang and I used to sneak around all the time. What are we going to do? Sneak onto the Fire Nation and break into a crappy jail cell? No biggie. Anyways, as soon as he's done, we need to leave. The sun will be up in a few hours and I want to get this done before lunch."

I looked towards where I thought the mountains were. Normally when we woke up, the sun would just be poking over the peaks, casting a light blue glow over the horizon. But now, the sun was probably on the other side of the world. Hopefully by day break, we would be in the Fire Nation, then soon after we would have Iroh and come back. If things went my way, everything would go smoothly. I think the worse thing that could happen would be for us to get caught caught or worse…meeting Azula and her minions. I owed that girl with the knives a good ass kicking.

Right on cue, Zuko stood up and stretched, signaling the finish of him map.

Despite the deep loathing I was feeling towards him, I was the first one over, the first one to sit down next to him and pour over the map. And just as I thought, it looked exactly like something you could find in the palace library.

"There are five prisons on this thing!" Sokka yelled.

Zuko glanced up and stared him in the eyes. "I know."

"Well, which one is he in then!"

Zuko took a deep breath and sighed. "I know he's not in these three." He pointed to a few of the prisons. "They are for the common criminals."

"What about the other ones?" Aang asked.

"This-" he pointed to an island an inch from the main land. "Is the home of Shedow prison." He pointed to another one. "And this one is boiling rock prison."

"What about the last one?" I couldn't help but ask.

His jaw set. "This one doesn't have a name."

The way he spoke had me glancing at his face although I didn't really want to look at him. "Why?"

His smile was scary. "Because it doesn't exist."

"I just got chills." Sokka muttered.

"What is this place?"

"This is where I think Iroh is. You see, boiling rock prison is mainly for prisoners of war and the more hardened criminals. That is where Fire Nation citizens think the dangerous ones are. But I know better. _This_ prison…" he gestured to the unnamed. "Is where that send the ones they want to disappear. They go in but are never seen on or heard from again."

"They kill them?" Aang gasped.

"No." he answered.

"Then why do they-"

His eyes flicked over to mine and I froze. I had a feeling that I didn't want to know what happened to those people.

"I know he's here." He muttered. "They wouldn't put him anywhere else."

"Have you been there?" Toph asked.

"Yes I have." He answered and said no more.

**o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o**

Appa flew over the water quickly, silently. He soared low, waves crashing around us, spraying, hitting us in the face. But we didn't care. All of our minds were otherwise occupied.

Our plan was simple, we would come up under the island into an underwater cave (I wasn't sure there were going to be any, but I was willing to take the chance. This _was _a volcano after all, there were bound to be air pockets or something…) and through Toph, we would tunnel through the mountain and into the prison, after that…we would fight for our lives. I knew where the cells were, I knew exactly how to get there, but knowing was different than doing it. Knowing where Iroh was most likely kept was vastly different from fighting our way through hundreds of highly trained guards, and making our way through mazes of hallways.

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, praying that no one would get hurt. Iwas nauseous, give me one more second and I was going to lean over the saddle and vomit. But if I did that I would show weakness, and this was my plan…if anyone knew how scared I was, they would loose faith in me.

I couldn't help but let out a silent groan. I could be leading us to our deaths. I could be killing all of us! The only thing I could do now was hope and pray hard enough, be sincere enough. And I was. I had never needed something more in my life. Because this wasn't about me…this was about all of us.

I closed my eyes and concentrated on the plan.

"You look pale." Sokka whispered.

"I'm fine." I whispered back.

He clapped me on the back. "Sure you are. Were all about to break into the dangerous prison in the world , fight through hundreds of highly trained guards, grab Iroh, and get our asses out of there. Why would you be nervous?"

I couldn't smile even though Sokka meant to be funny. "I have a bad feeling."

"Why?"

I groaned. "It's just a feeling, but I think Azula might be there waiting for us."

His hand fell from my shoulder. "Really?"

"Yeah." I glanced towards the quiet group and turned to Sokka, lowering my voice even to a murmur. "I know she's in he Fire Nation for sure."

"For sure?"

"She has to be. Azula knows were at the air temple, that's the only place left for us to go, so why didn't she come for us?"

"Even so, she can't know were about to do this."

"Can she?"

"How would she guess that on _this_ day, at this time, we were going to this prison?" he said this with confidence, but worry was still creasing his brow.

I don't know Sokka, I really don't know." I shut my mouth, not willing to speak what I was thinking.

Azula might not know when, but she definitely knew where. She _had_ to know that I would try to rescue Iroh. She knew how much I cared for him. I made the mistake of showing just how much I cared for him that night on the ship. I tired to break him out once, so why wouldn't I try it again? She knows I couldn't be without him, that I couldn't bear to live with the knowledge that it was for me he stayed behind,

She knew me to well to guess I wouldn't do this.

"We'll be fine." He set his jaw.

"We will be." I affirmed.

I rested my back on the saddle, watching the stars fly past us. I had to get my mind off of my fears, my doubts, but as soon as I closed my eyes, I saw the faces of soldiers waiting to kill us. In my mind, we were already as good as dead. We were on a suicide mission.

My eyes snapped open and immediately rested on Katara. Her head was down, staring at her hands, nervous and afraid, but I knew she was up for the chalange. She was up for anything.

She glanced up and met my eyes.

I turned away, unable to meet her gaze. I was a disgrace, my honor as a man was ruined. How could I kiss another woman when I was in a relationship? If I were in the Fire Nation, Mai's father would have the right to execute me.

Why was I having so many girl problems suddenly!

"Hey Sokka, do you have a girlfriend?" I picked at my nails, trying to appear nonchalant.

His blue eyes, a mirror of Katara's, met mine. "Yes."

"Oh…"

He smirked. "Why?"

"No reason in particular." I stared over the need of Appa's saddle and watched the water fly by underneath us. Maybe Sokka could relate. If he had a girlfriend…them he must be having problems too. Girls are crazy.

His eyes narrowed. "Is there someone you line?" His eyes flicked over my shoulder, and I knew he was thinking of Katara.

"No!" I yelled.

He put his hands in front of him. "Ok."

"You don't believe me." I insisted.

"I do!" He paused, stalling, trying to come up with a cover. "I just figured since you're a prince and all you'd have girls throwing themselves at your feet!"

I smiled bitterly. "Ever since I was…uh…banished…I don't exactly attract many Fire Nation women, actually, woman of every region tend to avoid me." My face turned red, and for the life of me I couldn't figure out why I was telling him this. "Probably because of the scar."

"Eh…" Sokka shrugged. "What can you say? But I can tell you this. Chicks did scars; it's probably your personality that scares them off."

"Thanks."

He smiled. "Anytime bud."

I pursed my lips. "Can I ask what her name is?"

"Suki." He answered.

I repeated her name and frowned. "Doesn't sound Water Tribe."

"Earth Kingdom as a matter of fact. By the way, you've met her before. Burnt down her village."

"Oh." I paused. "Sorry."

"You better tell her that." He shrugged. "If she doesn't kill you first."

"So you're dating someone out of your tribe…" I frowned.

"Yeah…so?"

"Well in the Fire Nation…um…we don't do that."

A spark lit up his eyes. "Why? What's wrong with Earth Kingdom women?"

"N-nothing." I stuttered. "Really."

"Then what's the big deal with dating out of your Nation?"

"Nothing!" I yelled. "But others don't think so. A child born between two races is considered low class in the Fire Nation."

He pointed at me. "There is nothing wrong with woman of earth or water."

"I know, and I'm sure Suki is beautiful."

"She is."

I couldn't help myself. "Does she know she's your girlfriend?"

"Hey!" He yelled, but his glare softened and his lips quirked into a smile. "She likes me too, ok? You may not know this, but I'm kind of a prince myself. Woman love princes."

"Yeah, I think that's the only reason my girlfriend is with me."

"I thought you didn't have a girlfriend."

I inwardly groaned at my slip. "I never said that."

"But I asked if you likes anyone and you said-" He trailed off. "Oh."

"Yeah…" I sighed.

"So why are you with her?" he asked.

"This doesn't leave the bison." I reminded him.

"Of course."

"It wasn't always like that…" I assured him. "I liked her, maybe even loved her…but it was during a difficult time. All she needed to do was bat her eyes at me. She was the first girl that ever showed interest in me, maybe I was more in love with _that_ than her." I didn't tell him what else I was thinking. I was comfortable knowing someone liked me, regardless if the feelings were returned, and was afraid that I would be alone without her. But here I was, as confused as ever.

"Oh…" it was obvious that Sokka didn't know what to say to that.

"Do you love her?" I asked, knowing he understood.

Sokka paused and I knew the next thing he said would be the truth. "Yes."

"That must be nice…"

He smiled. "It is…and once this was is over I'll ask her to marry me."

My stomach began to roll with nervousness. "Really?" I asked awkwardly.

His smile fell. "You look sick again, are you ok?"

I took a deep breath and nodded. "Yeah, fine. I'm just nervous about breaking in." I lied.

Sokka seemed to take my answer and I sighed in relief, happy that I was able to dodge that bullet.

The rest of the trip was spent getting the group familiar with the prison. By the time we reached Fire Nation territory, they knew the prison inside and out, so if we ever got separated (Agni forbid) they would be able to go on with the plan.

"There it is." I pointed to the island.

"Zuko…that's not an island, that's a volcano!" Sokka yelled.

"An active volcano." Katara pointed out.

I stared at the volcano, picturing it as they saw. A large looming mountain, liquid fire spilling from its mouth, carving a path down the slope and into the water where it cooled and hardened, creating new land.

"A volcano?" Toph asked. "Cool."

"How do you get in?" Katara asked.

"Through the top. Only a firebender could get in without burning up."

"But that doesn't make sense!" Sokka continued yelling. "Why would you put firebenders on a volcano?"

"Are you aware the whole Fire Nation is built on top of a volcano?" I rolled my eyes. "Besides, no one can bend lava. Azula cant, I cant, even Ozai cant…it takes complete mastery over fire…something only an Avatar can obtain."

"Can Iroh?" Aang asked from atop the saddle, Momo chirping on his shoulder.

I hadn't even been aware Aang had been listening. "I don't know…but if anyone can, it'd be him. He's the only one Azula still cant beat."

Aang nodded and led Appa into a turn, angling us towards the island.

"Lets do this…" I muttered and closed my eyes briefly, picturing the face of Iroh.

Aang stopped Appa and stood, his figure a spot of black blocking the stars. In one move, Katara joined him, after a flurry of movement, the temperature dropped and humidity filled the air. I blinked and the navy black sky darkened, the stars disappearing above a thick cloud of fog. The only light now was the glow of the lava flowing out of the volcano.

Katara stepped in front of him and sat on Appa's head, I could hear the water below us being pushed, shoved aside. "One…two…three…"

Appa dipped and flew straight into the water. I flinched, a reflex, even though I knew the water would give way, through Katara, and create a bubble around us, allowing us to swim underwater to the island.

"Oh man…this sucks." Katara grunted, already tiring from the strain of holding the water even with Aang's help.

I knew she wouldn't let go, she would keep this up for as long as we needed.

Appa swam, his immersed tail the only thing propelling us forward.

I lit a fire in my palm, chasing away the dark. Shadows fluttered across everyone's pale faces, showing me that they knew just how dangerous this would be.

"Toph!" Aang called. "Get ready!"

I stood and helped Toph up, allowing her to grasp my hand in a death grip.

Ahead of me, I saw the black face of the volcano looming ahead of us through the murky water.

"Now!" I yelled and Toph jumped off of the saddle, towards the wall of earth that had just broke through our bubble. She hit it seconds before we did, carving a tunnel for us to land in. Immediately after we were inside, Toph put up a wall of rock, encasing us in complete darkness.

Aang and I both lit fires in our palms. "Are you guys ready?"

A silent nod was all I got.

"Ok…lets go." I nodded at Toph and she began to tunnel through the rock, making our way to the main chamber. This morning, I had briefed Toph and the group on exactly where we would be going, and I bet she could already sense the room we were aiming for. It was a giant room that had been built into the volcano soon after it had been turned into a prison. The room had been built for one purpose, a party to commemorate the prisons opening, and since then, it had been abandoned and never used again.

After what seemed like an eternity, Toph signaled us and pointed directly above her. We nodded and crouched down, protecting ourselves from falling debris. Toph punched up, shattering the ground completely, creating a hole for us to climb through.

I was the first one to climb up and into the room. Already having been in this room, I knew exactly where the torches were. I sent out a ball of fire into the darkness and caught one on fire.

The room was high ceilinged, carved straight into the rock, the only room that had smooth wall, an even floor. Everywhere else you would find chambers, air pockets that were transformed into hallways and rooms, the ground still sharp and jagged.

Immediately, I knew something was wrong. The room was different. The smell of un-use and emptiness wasn't here, but that couldn't be…this room never got opened…ever.

With another blast of fire, I lit another torch.

What I saw made me gasp.

There was a bed in this room, an ornate bed designed for royalty. It looked exactly like the one owned by-

"It's about time you get here Zuzu…"

I flinched and spun. There, sitting on a chair, nothing but a shaded figure in the darkness, was Azula.

"I was getting bored waiting."

Behind me, there was a collective gasp of realization. Azula knew we were here; she had been waiting for us all along.

"Oh Zuzu…your so predictable…" she shook her head at me. "I would have tunneled in through the kitchens; no one would have been there, especially this early."

"Go!" I yelled behind me.

"We'll fight together!" Aang yelled and started coming forward, but I sent a blast of fire behind me, sending him away.

"I said go!" I screamed at him.

I had to do this alone…for Iroh. I _had _to defeat her.

"I'll stay!" Toph shouted.

I glanced at her. "I need you to protect Aang."

"Yeah, but I can't have her killing my favorite firebender…"

Azula gave us no more time to speak. A blast of fire interrupted us, sending us diving for cover.

"GO!" I yelled.

Aang, Katara and Sokka stayed one second longer before they continued to the next room and into the cells where Iroh was kept.

I sprung to my feet, and backed up, opting for a long distance fight that would give me more time to react. A comforting weight at my hip reminded me of my swords, if all else failed, at least I would have those.

Toph moved first, shifting her stance and exhaling. Suddenly, a crack formed in the rock and widened, carving a crevice through the room. Separating us from her.

We attacked simultaneously, both throwing everything we got at her. Pushed my hands out, sending a huge ball of fire at her just as Toph dug her heel in the ground, her arms twisted, pulled the unseen, and with a tug, a slice of earth came flying at her. She ducked and dodged our attacks and nothing seeming to faze her.

I closed my eyes and did what Iroh was always telling me to do…I felt the earth around me, felt the energy, felt the power of the lava below me. I knew that alone, I wouldn't be able to control it, but with Toph…anything would be possible.

The sounds of fighting were blocked from my mind as I crouched and placed my hand on the ground.

I opened my eyes. "Toph." She didn't turn to me, but she didn't need to, she knew exactly where I was, exactly what I was doing.

She flung one last boulder at Azula and copied my stance. At the same time, we concentrated on the magma, Toph calling earth, myself calling fire, and pulled it to the surface. I groaned at the strain, but after a second, I knew it was working. The ground began shaking from the strain of the lava, but Azula didn't notice.

She sent an attack directly at me. I had two choices, either stop and block the attack, ruining our plan, or I would take the hit. The ball of flame hit me on my shoulder. An involuntary cry of pain erupted from deep in my throat. Shock clouded the pain, but didn't erase it completely, and as I strained to move the magma, sweat formed on my brow from the agony.

The ground shook all around us as the lava burst from the ground, creating a mini volcano at our feet.

I knew that lava flowed like slow moving water, and would not respond to firebending moves, so I got a different stance, the same stance that I had memorized from the spars Katara and I had.

"Copy my stances." I told Toph and began to move. She sent the lava my way, knowing I would be the only one able to stand the heat, and started moving exactly as I was.

Just like water, the lava flowed in my hands, forming a stream.

I kept the lava white hot as we sent it at Azula in the form of a whip.

A look of shock on her face seconds before she dove out of the way. The lava crashed into her bed, bursting it into flames.

The whole room lit up, all shadows disappearing.

My eyes narrowed at her.

Bending lava was a lot harder than it looked. Lava was thicker, denser, offering no room for mistakes.

Together we pulled more lava from the hole and forced it to flow along the ground to Azula, trapping her.

We released the lava and with one swift ark, bent the lava upward, encasing her in a hollowed bubble of lava. I released my control of the lava and watched it harden into rock.

I sighed and collapsed to the ground, cradling my blistering arm and shoulder.

"Think this'll kill her?"

"She'll be fine, a few burns, but this won't kill her." I grumbled, surprised that I would speak that way about my sister.

She crossed her arms. "Maybe we should've done the deed and ended it once and for all."

I flinched, realizing that I would never be able to end her life no matter how much I hated her. "Let's go find them."

We ran out of the room and into the hallway. As expected, it was littered with bodies, alive and just barely hanging in there. Some with sword wounds and some frozen to walls. We followed the carnage, trusting that it would lead us directly to Iroh's chamber.

It didn't take us long before we found the fight, but it was not what I expected.

Katara stood, all alone, facing Ty Lee and Mai.

I gasped, seeing Mai for the first time since the boat. She looked different, angrier, a look of pure hate on her face.

She sent a barrage of knives at Katara, aiming to kill. With a swift move, Katara threw up a shield of water, and the blades bounced harmlessly away.

From nowhere, Ty Lee bounced towards us. Inches from me, Toph bent a pillar around her foot, tripping her before she could attack. She fell hard and fast, there was no time for her to brace herself so she smacked onto the ground hard, a cry of shock escaping her lips.

"Toph, go on…" I took her by the shoulders and pushed her forward, towards the exit. "Get Iroh., I'll take care of her."

"Ouch…" Ty Lee whined. "That hurt."

"Get up Ty Lee." I muttered.

"Zuko…" She got to her feet and contorted her body into a strange stance. "Long time no see."

"Yeah, always a pleasure." I rolled my eyes at her.

"I'm really glad to see you, we've been waiting here for two weeks!" she yelled with a smile.

"Really?"

"Yeah, Azula has been sleeping in that room the whole time, waiting for you."

I glanced over her at the fight between Katara and Mai. "You don't say." Kat seemed to be holding her own just fine, so I brought my full attention to Ty Lee.

She punched out at me. I blocked her punch, and then a jab that was aimed for my ribs. "You're getting faster." She pointed out.

"Yeah, I've been practicing." To anyone else, talking to the enemy while fighting would have seemed strange, but not to me. I actually liked Ty Lee, and talking during a battle was just one of her quirky traits.

"With the Water Tribe girl?" she asked, and kicked out at me, aiming for my head.

I blocked just in time, hitting her leg off course and landing a punch to her chest. "Yeah."

She grunted from the impact and stumbled back. Suddenly, her face went serious and I knew the time for small talk was over.

From out of nowhere, water rained down on us and we both glanced over at Mai and Katara. From a hole in the wall gushed water into the chamber, drenching our feet, soon rising to our ankles.

She used my distraction and dove past me, popping up behind me and out of sight.

I didn't see her, but I felt a light jab in my back, then suddenly, I felt sluggish, tired. I growled and spun around, a stream of fire flowing from my hands. She flipped backwards and out of the range of my attack. Ty Lee landed on the far side of the room and reached up to grab a hold on the wall. She pulled herself up and began climbing up the wall, not stopping until she reached the ceiling.

My fist remained pointed at her, ready to attack as a moments notice.

She vaulted off the wall, sending herself flying at me like an arrow, quick and accurate.

Ty Lee was moving too fast for me to move more than a foot out of the way. She grabbed my shirt as she flew by and didn't let go, twisting and pulling me around, landing easily on her feet. I flew to the ground, hitting hard and loud, the volcanic rock shredding my clothes and skin.

"Zuko!" I heard Katara yell, but I was too shocked to comprehend.

I lay there, unable to move from the pain. Blood leaked from everywhere, my side, my leg. The pain clouded my vision, rendering my mind sluggish. I tried to sit, but my head was splitting in half, blood pooling around me.

From above, I saw Ty Lee come down me, her heel ready to hit my stomach. I rolled to the side, getting out of her way.

One step at a time…I got to my hands and knees, then just my knees, finally my feet. I swayed back and forth, Ty Lee's body doubling, then tripling.

I wiped at my eyes, trying in vain to get my vision back.

She ran towards me in a zigzagging fashion, throwing me off even further. I sent out an arc of flame, trying my hardest to hit her, but to me, it looked like she ran straight through the flames.

Before I knew it, she was on my. I fell back wards with a grunt and all of the air was knocked out of me. Disoriented and in pain, I could do nothing but lay there as she Placed a few strategic jabs. Immediately, I felt cold, as if my fire had been extinguished. My eyes drifted shut. Darkness overwhelmed me, only the sound of fighting told me I was still conscious.

I waited for the final blow, the one that would kill me, but it never came. No footfalls alerted me that Ty Lee was near by. It was like she left me here; sure I wouldn't pose a threat.

That meant she was also going after Katara.

My heart hammered in my chest, in my ears. Every wound pulsing along with the rising beat.

I couldn't let them have Katara. I couldn't let them hurt her.

My eyes drifted open, focusing on the rock above me. I sat up, my head a swirling mess, but my determination kept me going. I had to save Katara from Mai.

All on its own, my body rose to a stand, my clothes began to stiffen, blood drying and molding my shirt to my skin.

Katara stood in the middle of the room, Ty Lee and Mai on either side of her, ready to attack.

But I already knew who would make the first move…Mai.

She shifted her stance and I ran, throwing myself at her. My shoulder connected with her side, throwing us both the ground in a sloppy tackle.

Mai pushed herself out from under me, her sleeve torn and bloodied. Her glare was like ice, cold and unforgiving.

I unsheathed my swords and slashed at her, she brought up her arm to block. My sword bounced off her arm with a clank, protected by her arsenal of knives.

She unsheathed a dagger and pointed it at me. "Surprised to see me honey?" She spat.

I got even closer to her, knowing that close combat was her weak point. "Don't call me that."

"Why not _darling,_ aren't you happy to see me?"

"Mai…" I moved quickly, one arm slashed at her, and the other one hooked around, pulling her into me with the blunt side of the sword. Her body crashed into mine roughly, and for a moment, her eyes sparked with emotion. "I think its time we see other people."

With speed I didn't know I was capable, I brought up my knee into her stomach, a harsh and painful blow.

"Zuko!" Katara yelled.

I turned to see her running towards me. "Are you ok?" I asked.

"Am I ok? Yeah, but look at you!" She touched my chest and brought her hand away, it was covered in blood.

"Where's Ty Lee?"

She pointed to a heap of pink lying on the ground.

"You cheating bitch!" The yell echoed through the room. I turned back to Mai, still kneeling on the ground, her hands on her stomach.

"Cheating?" Katara questioned.

"Oh, he didn't tell you, huh?" she smiled, but the effect was all wrong. Instead of happiness, like a smile should mean, it was filled with hurt and anger.

"Tell me what?"

"That we are a couple."

"_She's _your girlfriend?!" She yelled.

"We are betrothed." She sneered at Katara. "Did he tell you that?"

"_Were._" I spat. "That was before this." I gestured around myslef. "All of this."

Her eyes shot to mine. "It's her isn't it? Something prettier came along and you had to snatch her up too."

"This isn't about her!" I yelled, pointing to Katara.

"This is insulting, she's a dirty Water Tribe peasant, not fit to be with our prince. You dishonor the nation."

I stepped forward and got so close to her face I could feel her breath. "You will _not_ disrespect her."

"It's all her fault."

Anger boiled in my gut. "This was decided long before I left, before I met her. We were never a good match. Never."

In a lightning fast move, she slashed at my cheek with a knife that was tucked away in her sleeve. I didn't move, didn't flinch as a stream of blood dripped onto my already soaked shirt.

Her shoulder moved slightly, signaling another coming attack. Before she could move, before I could even think, I kicked high, aiming for her head. She came down hard and didn't move.

"Betrothed?!" Katara yelled. "To that thing?!" she gestured to the unconscious Mai.

"Yeah, but-"

"But what?!"

"I didn't love her!"

"That's even worse!"

I ran my hands through my hair, ignoring the wave of pain that came over me. "But-"

A streak of pink flew towards us and I had only a second to react. I jumped and talked Katara, twisting so she landed on top of me.

Ty Lee somersaulted to a stand and crouched over Mai.

Katara rolled off of me and stood. Her arms shot out and with a grunt, she jerked them to the side. The slow flow of water into the room turned into a torrent of water.

The water reached my ankles, my knees, then my waist. Blood from my shirt absorbed into the water, making the water a pale pink color.

Suddenly, with the force of a charging animal, the pain hit me.

Salt water soaked into my wounds, all of them. My vision blackened around the edges and I couldn't move, could barely breathe.

I could only watch in horror as Katara fought Ty Lee.

Katara was confident in her element. She stood on a square of ice, staring at Ty Lee who was on the wall, holding on for dear life. Water swirled around her, and with a swing of her arm, the water lashed at her. She jumped, landing on the other side. For a second she slipped, but at the last moment she grasped the rock.

Katara stomped on the ice and her foot slid back. The ice elongated, gave her more room to run. From a hole in the middle, she withdrew a whip of water and sent it towards Ty Lee. It grasped her leg, pulling her off the wall and into the water.

Ty Lee wasn't stupid, she knew she needed to make this a hand to hand fight, and there was only one way she could do it. She jumped out of the way of her attack and landed near the only torch lighting the room. With a kick, the torch fell into the water, leaving us in complete darkness.

I lit a fire on my palm and held it above my head, away from the chest high water.

But she wasn't there.

She was already in front of Katara.

Katara jerked back in surprise, but it was too late. Ty Lee jabbed her once, twice, Three times.

I watched in slow motion as Katara fell backwards. She disappeared underneath the ice and didn't resurface.

I breathed once, twice.

No Katara.

I growled in anger and spat a ball of fire at Ty Lee, all of my anger and fury manifesting into the flame.

It hit the ice, catapulting Ty Lee into the air. She twisted like a cat, arching her back and diving cleanly into the water.

My whole body glowed with heat, fire combining with water, heating up until it steamed and Boiled.

Her head popped out of the water and she let out a scream of pain.

I threw a ball of fire and it hit her on her chest, knocking her back. She let out one last screamed, and then stopped moving.

Immediately, I stopped, the water stopped bubbling and instead steamed lightly.

I sloshed through the water, trying to run to her, but it had already been too long. One minute was too long for anyone.

My hand lit with fire and I ducked into the water in search of her.

There, not ten feet away, was a dark shape trapped under the only piece of ice that hadn't melted. I swam franticly towards her and grabbed her arm, pulling her to the surface. Once her head broke the surface, I knew something was wrong, she wasn't breathing, wasn't moving, she was as still as death.

"Help!" I screamed.

My cry echoed back to me.

"Anyone!" I cried.

With all my remaining strength, I hoisted her body out of the water and onto the ice.

I tapped her face lightly, and then when she didn't respond, I slapped her hard. Her face lolled to the side.

With effort, I pulled myself on top of the ice and leaned over her. "Katara!"

I bent over her and placed my ear to her chest. Her heart was slow and getting slower. We were loosing her.

I started CPR and prayed.

I breathed into her mouth and pumped her chest over and over, hoping her heart would find a rhythm, that she could cough the water out of her chest.

"Zuko!"

I could've cried in relief. "Iroh!" I screamed, not even stopping. "I need you!" My voice sounded desperate, panicked.

"Where's Katara?!" Sokka screamed.

I ignored him and continued counting as I pumped her chest.

Iroh was at my side in seconds. I didn't even look up.

"Move." He commanded me.

It took me a second before I registered his command, but I did what he said.

He bent over her and checked her heart. Iroh's head came up slowly, a look of torture on his face.

"No…" I whispered.

"Where's Katara?" Sokka asked, weaker this time, realization setting in.

"Iroh…" I whispered, tears leaking silently down my face. "Save her."

"Zuko." Iroh looked at me. "You know what I have to do."

I nodded.

"Do you trust me?"

I nodded harder, my head splitting in agony.

His fingertips sparked, static popping in the air. He brought the spark to her chest, but hesitated.

"Do it." I urged him.

His dirty hair fell in front of his face, obscuring his expression, but with one motion, he touched just above her heart.

Her whole body jerked as the electricity coursed through her. With a cough, the water spewed from her lungs.

But she still didn't wake, her blue eyes didn't open.

"Why isn't she awake!?" I yelled in anger. "Why?"

"Zuko." Iroh touched my shoulder.

Suddenly, I was surrounded my Sokka, Aang and Toph.

"Katara…" Sokka whispered and crouched down, cradling Katara in his arms.

"She's fine." Aang whispered as if the sound would shatter the world.

"Fine?" Sokka yelled.

"I just know..." He traced a finger down her face. "She'll be ok."

"Guys..." Even Toph was whispering. "We need to leave."

Aang nodded dumbly. "Get katara, we need to go now."

**o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o

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**Drama drama drama drama...**

**Is this a cliff hanger???**

**Maybe.**

**I love you all!**


	18. Hallucinations

**Its been a while guys, how have you been? Is anyone still here? Lol, um Its been so long since I've updated because my life has changed A LOT. I've been planning a wedding and I'm going to be married in the summer of 2011. But don't worry, I will finish this story. I spent way too long planning and plotting to throw this all away. I can't let the ending I planned go to waste!**

**Ok, enjoy! and sorry I'm a bit rusty.**

**Edit: I reworded the end a bit to clear up any confusion.  
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**o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o**

Pressure.

I couldn't breathe, couldn't move. It was like I was in a vacuum that was sucking in more and more air with no way for it to escape. I was being pressed in on from all sides, rigid like a board.

Most likely, I wasn't dead…I couldn't be. If I were dead, I'd know it (or at least I'd like to think I would know). First off, Death couldn't be this uncomfortable. There would be a long dark tunnel with a hypnotic light at the end. But there wasn't. I was just alone in the darkness.

How the heck had I even gotten here?

I tired to remember how, but no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't. It was like the more I searched for the answer, the further into my mind it went. The last thing I remembered was standing by the campfire, watching a couple sucking each others faces off. Then…well…that was it.

I groaned in frustration.

The answer was in there, I knew it was…so close to being found, but there was a mental block. Something wasn't letting me remember.

I tried to open my eyes. Maybe If I knew where I was, my memories would come floating back.

But no, the darkness was too much, even my outstretched hand proved impossible to see.

Without warning, I started falling, or at least I thought I was…there was no wind blowing my hair and clothing, but the same feeling of being on a rollercoaster came over me. My stomach fluttered and it felt like my heart was in my throat.

Then, I was slammed into the ground.

No, I _couldn't_ be dead. Dying wouldn't be this violent or unpleasant.

I opened my eyes and this time I saw stars.

I lifted my hand and held it in front of my face. Ok…so I could move…I wasn't dead, but that didn't explain the pressure pressure I was feeling just moments before. With a push, I was sitting up, staring at my legs. "Oh God…" I mumbled. My favorite jeans were covered in dirt and grass stains. Lucy would kill me when she saw these.

Suddenly, a flood of questions assaulted me. Where was I? How had I gotten here? Pain exploded in my head. I groaned and pushed at my temples, trying to will the pain away. What the hell had happened to me? It felt like I got hit by a car! Had I fallen and hit my head on a rock? That would explain that weird falling dream…but why wasn't I at the fire pit?

I had to get up and back to that damn campfire…maybe they could tell me what happened.

I forced myself to stand and dragged myself towards the smell of a campfire. To my left, a path. I turned, heading straight for it. A fallen tree lie next to the path, I remembered passing that tree on my way here…but where _was_ here? Why had I gone into the forest? Had I needed to pee?

Fear overtook me…something was wrong with me, something had to be. Why else would I not remember? How else could I have forgotten walking into the forest?

In the path ahead stood a figure, motionless and silent. He said something to me, something I didn't understand, but I recognized his voice, it was low and husky and unmistakable. I took a step closer and I could see his black, scraggly hair. He shifted, half his face catching in the moonlight, one eye, bright and gold, skin pale as porcelain in the moonlight.

"Hello?" It called.

"Bobby!" I yelled back and ran at him. I crashed into his chest hard, sending him stumbling back. "I thought you were someone else!"

He grunted, but didn't pull away from my hug. "You scared the crap out of me Kat, I thought you were a bear or something."

I squeezed him even tighter, giving him biggest hug I could. "I missed you guys so much!"

"Missed us?" His words were strained as if I were squeezing all of the oxygen out of him, but he didn't complain, only showed concern. "Are you alright?"

I groaned. "I don't know, I think I fell and hit my head or something…"

He pulled and touched my forehead gently, feeling for a bump. "Does it hurt?"

I frowned and moved his hand, placing it over the tender spot. "Yeah, and I had the strangest dream."

He linked his arm through mine and started pulling me out of the forest. "Where have you been? We've been looking for you."

I closed my eyes and exhaled slowly, trying to fight off a wave of dizziness. "Honestly…I have no idea. Maybe I had to go to the bathroom."

He laughed and shook his head, his blond hair falling into his eyes. "Maybe?"

"Like I said, I must have hit my head." I pulled his arm around my waist so he could support me better, I knew if I fell, I would take him with me. "Hurts like hell."

"Kitty-"

"-Don't call me that." I warned, cutting him off. I hated that nickname.

"Kat, we should get you to a chair, I think you should sit down."

My knees began to wobble. "Good idea."

He pulled me closer, letting me rest more of my weight against him. "You'll be OK Kat."

I nodded, trusting him. "How long have you guys been looking for me?"

"For about ten minutes, were all ready to go."

I moaned. "I was gone that long? I _must_ have knocked myself out…"

"Yeah, we definitely need to get you to a chair…if you have a concussion Lucy will kill me…" he smiled. "And I'd never forgive myself if you get amnesia or something. If you start to hear a ringing noise, tell me immediately."

I chuckled. "Sure thing."

We walked in silence and I couldn't help but wonder why I had wandered so far.

"Wait." I froze, forcing him to stop. "How long have we been here?"

He flipped open his cell phone, and for a second, his face was lit up in the dark. "Well, it's nearly midnight…so I guess about 5 hours…"

I jerked my arm away from his grasp. "And you barely started looking for my five minutes ago?"

"Ten minutes" He corrected as if it would actually make a difference. He saw the look on my face and started stuttering nervously. "Everyone had kind of split up anyways; I just assumed you went off with one of them."

My glare didn't soften. "Just take me back."

As soon as I started moving again, the pain and stiffness flooded in. "Okay, okay…stop."

He paused. "What's wrong?"

"I think got hit by a train." I crouched on the ground with my pounding head between my knees. "I think I'm going to be sick."

"Okay…" He pulled me to my feet and knelt in front of me. "Come on, let's go."

I readily took the invitation and jumped on his back piggy-back style. Nausea hit me like a ton of bricks, and I had to force down to urge to gag. "I can't be blamed if I throw up on your back…" I warned him, my voice a croak.

"Just don't aim for the hair. Ok Kat?" He said in a reassuring way, a way that said if I actually did throw up on him, he's wouldn't think any less of me.

"Katara…" I said automatically, and then hid my face in his shoulder out of embarrassment. "You can call me Katara…if you want."

He froze. I could just imagine the look on his face. I had never, ever, let anyone call me by my whole name. I wouldn't even let the teachers call me Katara. Since when was I okay with anyone calling me Katara? It even felt a little weird when I said it. What had that knock on the head done to me? I hated my name. Yet…it just felt so natural now. I could barely remember why I disliked the name so much to begin with. What had changed? Had that knock on my head affected my brain? I think I actually did have a concussion.

That would explain that weird hallucination I had of the black haired boy. Bobby definitely didn't have black hair nor was his skin pale.

"Katara." Bobby repeated. "I think I like that."

**o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o**

I waved goodbye to Bobby and walked to the front door, but before I had even reached the porch, I knew something was wrong. It was past midnight, and the lights were still on. Lucy has always had a strict lights out policy that began promptly at eleven…so why was Lucy still up?

She was opening the door before I even reached it, with a jerk of her head, she motioned me to enter.

"Kat!" Lucy yelled as soon as the door closed. "You are in big trouble missy!"

I frowned at being called 'Missy', but didn't dare say anything about it. I also failed to mention I had no clue why she was mad at me. What did I do? This morning felt like so long ago.

"When I told you to watch Tina, I meant _watch her_, not bribe her and hope for the best."

Oh…that's what I did wrong.

"I came home tonight, and guess what I saw? Andrew was covered in glue. Guess who told him that being covered in glue would make him stay young forever?"

"Tina?" I asked sheepishly.

She smiled, but it sure wasn't a happy one. "Why didn't you watch her?"

"She's twelve years old!" I reminded her with a weak voice. The dizziness hadn't gone away, only grew worse. It was annoying to feel this crappy, and the annoyance was turning to anger.

"Katara."

I shut up immediately, whenever she called me by my whole name, she meant business.

"With you gone, that left her in change of the others." She folded her arms and shook her head at me.

"But I had already made plans with Bobby, I couldn't just bail-"

"Robert would've understood."

"Bobby." I corrected her, my head pulsing; he absolutely hated being called Robert.

Her eyes slit into a glare. "Robert understands that you have obligations to your family."

A face flashed through my mind, an older boy…blue eyes like mine, dark skin, and a smile that gave his face life. Suddenly, I was angry. Very angry. "My family?" I screamed. "This isn't my family!"

"Katara!" She yelled, offended.

"You're not my mom, so stop trying to act like you are!" I was on a roll, unwilling to stop. "You'll never be my mom. My mom is dead. I know she is. I don't have a mom." My eyes began to burn with tears, and I took that as my cue to storm off.

"Katara!" Lucy yelled as I ran up the stairs, but I didn't stop, I couldn't.

As soon as I burst through my door, I crawled into my bed and tunneled under the blankets like a child. I wanted to get away from her, away from the lights that made my eyes hurt.

"Way to go…" Came a voice from the bottom bunk.

"Shut up." I grumbled, about ready to punch her in the face.

"Now Lucy is going to be extra mean tomorrow."

"I said…shut up." I threatened. "This is all because of you anyways."

I heard her sigh. "I only did it because Lucy insists I still need a babysitter…" a few seconds of rustling blankets and her head popped into view. "I'm way too old for a babysitter."

I leaned over and poked her forehead, sending her stumbling back. "Have you ever thought that this was why?"

"Puh-lease." She mumbled. "Andrew already had glue all over him when I found him…it's not completely my fault."

"Geeze…" I rolled my eyes and crawled out of bed. "You sound just like-"

Green eyes, lighter than any I had ever seen, a full head of unruly black hair, haphazardly pulled back with a thick headband. A pale face smeared with dirt accompanied by an air of mischief.

"Who?" She asked tiredly.

I grabbed my favorite towel from the closet and made my way to the bathroom. "No one."

She was no one, just like that boy with my eyes. They didn't exist…they were just a figment of my weird imagination. People I dreamt up, not real. No matter how real they seemed…they were just a side effect of a concussion.

I peeled back my dirty clothes layer by layer, feeling little twinges of pain where I had been bruised (presumably from the fall). One on my shoulder, a few on my ribs, one on my arm. I frowned…this was a lot of bruises…had I rolled down a hill or something?

With trepidation, I took off my pants and flinched. A large bruise on my thigh.

The warm water worked miracles on my muscles…but really, I had been there for hours…I would be surprised if I _didn't _hurt.

To get rid of the stiffness, I arched my back in stretch, but the pain in my ribs stopped me. Like a flash of light, images popped into my head.

I kicked and punched at a woman in pink, but none of my blows even came close to hitting her. Then, suddenly there was darkness.

My eyes widened and then slit, trying to peer through the crippling blackness, but no shapes emerged, nothing shifted. Only the sound of water and the knowledge that someone was hurt, someone important to me was hurt and there wasn't a damn thing I could do about it except wait until the girl attacked again.

I slowly inched myself to the right so that if she attacked, unless she had night vision and saw me move, her aim would be off.

The Ice tipped and I froze, not wanting to move the ice even further. It tipped to the right again, but it wasn't me this time, it was her.

Without warning, the room was lit with light…but it was too late. She stared me in the eyes, face mere inches from mine. I jerked back, trying to find footing on the slick ice, but I knew it was too late.

The woman jabbed me hard, pain cutting through my body, making me feel week, tired. I didn't even feel the second one.

I was falling backwards, my eyes going from her face, to the ceiling, and then I was submerged in my element, falling through the hole in the ice. I held my breath, bracing for impact, hoping that my head wouldn't hit the ice, but knowing that I had much bigger things to worry about now.

The water was cold as ice. Out of shock, I gasped in the water, filling my lungs.

Everything was happening too fast, my thoughts were scattered, my lungs burning. I didn't know what to do. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't move, couldn't even close my eyes; it was like I was frozen. My tense muscles were loosening, my throat relaxing, allowing water to slowly trickle in. I tired to move, tried to think of a way to move my feet, but I couldn't remember, couldn't concentrate long enough to form a thought.

My eyes desperately searched for a way out, but deep in the back of my mind, I knew it was pointless. Even if I miraculously found an air pocked under the ice, or if I found the hole again, I couldn't reach for it, couldn't swim to safety.

A blast of light and an explosion. The ice above me split apart, but without the ability to move, I was wedged there with nowhere to go, nothing to do.

My mind swam as my brain was starved of oxygen.

It was too late for me, I knew it. I just hoped everyone would be able to get out of here safely, that he would defeat the woman in my place.

I gasped and swayed on my feet, coming back to reality. My lungs burned and I coughed, half expecting to choke out water.

"What was that?" I whispered. I had never had anything like that happen to me before, it all felt so real.

Again, I glanced at my ribs…they looked no different from a bruise I could have gotten from lying too long on a rock. It couldn't have been that girl because she wasn't real. That fight didn't actually happen.

I turned off the shower and toweled off with a scowl. Katara, get a hold of yourself. You don't want everyone to think you are crazy, do you?

**o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o**

"Hey Katara!" Bobby yelled as soon as I walked into the diner.

"Good Morning." I grumbled, rubbing at my eyes.

He glanced up at the clock. "Um…its one in the afternoon."

I rolled my eyes. "Whatever, I just woke up."

"Still feeling bad?"

I flopped into the nearest chair and rested my head on the table. "That's a bit of an understatement."

"You must have hit your head hard, huh?"

"Very hard." I affirmed. "I'm almost one hundred percent sure I had a concussion last night"

He rested his hand on my shoulder. "You feeling better now at least?"

"Kind of, but my head has been feeling weird all day."

"Well its good that you're feeling better, because I hate to be the bearer of bad news…but Mrs. Cooper gave you napkin duty."

I moaned and stomped my feet like a child, burying my head in my arms. "She must have talked to Lucy…crap. I'm screwed."

His forehead scrunched in confusion. "What do you mean?"

"I'm in a lot of trouble with Lucy…Um…it's a long story." I glanced up at his face, sighing in frustration. "it involves a few bottles of glue."

He nodded, disappearing into the storage room. When he came back, his arms were full of our diner's ugly red linens. I pursed my lips as he placed them on the table in front of me. "I'll try and help as much as I can." Bobby patted me on my back gently. "But you know how Mrs. Cooper can be…"

I nodded, if Mrs. Cooper so much as caught him leaning against the wall, he would get called a slacker and be assigned more tables. The moment Bobby slipped away to help me, she would be there, sniffing him down like a crazed bloodhound. "You rock."

He held out his fist and I smirked, bumping his with my own.

I started folding napkins, expecting Bobby to go and work on the tables, but he didn't move.

"Katara…"

I glanced up at Bobby. "Hm?"

He rubbed at the back of his head. "Did you loose weight?"

A frown played across my face.

"No." he laughed. "That wasn't a pick up line…I'm serious."

I put down the napkins I had been folding and glanced down at myself. "I don't think so…"

"Yeah." He grabbed my arm, pulling me to my feet. "You definitely look thinner."

I groaned and swayed on the spot, my eyes blurry and unfocused. "Don't do that, my head is still wacked out." I reminded him, but looked down at myself again anyways. "I don't see-"

He poked my stomach. "Damn!" he whispered. "Look, you're all muscle now!"

I poked at my stomach, and felt a hard wall of muscle. I frowned. "I haven't been doing anything…"

"You have got to give me some workout tips…"

I poked at my stomach again...it felt so familiar, yet so strange.

Another flash of light.

"Honestly Zuko!" I yelled in frustration. "Are you trying to get me to like you even less than I already do?"

"Shut up and do twenty more."

I grunted and continued doing squats. "Well, its working…I think I might just hate you."

"Hate is a strong word."

"Five…six…seven…I'm going to kill you…ten…"

"Well then I'm doing you a favor, aren't I? You won't loose as fast if you're stronger."

"Thirteen…fourteen…that doesn't mean I have to be grateful…seventeen…"

"After this, its sit-ups."

"I don't see how this should be part of my training…nineteen…twenty." I flopped onto the floor, my forehead already covered in a thin sheen of sweat. "I want to learn how to fight, not become a professional body builder!"

"With your stamina, you wouldn't last five minutes in a battle…now sit-ups, go."

"Kat!"

I jerked in surprise and stared at him.

"Did you hear anything I just said?"

I shook my head. "I think I might've hit my head harder than I thought."

"Does it still hurt?" he asked and gently stroked my temple.

"No…I just keep zoning out. It's weird." I didn't tell him I was having weird dreams, or that I was making up strange drill sergeants for a reason…I was afraid he'd think I went insane. But I hadn't…right?

"Well, you better finish your work or Officer Cooper will have you do the dishes again…" he warned me.

I glanced down at my work and sighed. Yes…finish folding the napkins first, go crazy later. "Yeah…you're right."

Suddenly, a face flashed through my mind. A boy with grey eyes and a bright smile. On his forehead was tattooed an arrow. He looked familiar, very familiar.

"Kat!" Bobby yelled again.

I glanced up, surprised. "Huh?"

"Oh never mind, you weren't listening anyways."

"Sorry…but I-" I frowned. "I think I should go home."

"You're leaving? But Miss. Cooper-"

"Tell her I threw up on Greg or something." I moaned and got to my feet, not even bothering to change out of my hideous uniform before leaving.

Who were these people? I couldn't have just made them up…I don't have _that_ great of an imagination. Have I met them before? Were they people I've forgotten? No, they couldn't be…I would have remembered meeting someone with an arrow tattooed on his head.

Should I tell someone about this? Would Lucy send me to a psychiatrist? If we had the money, she would. Ever since I flushed a live fish down the toilet to "set it free", Lucy had thought me to be a bit strange. If I told her about my hallucinations, she'd have me carted off. Images of padded walls and straight-jackets flew through my mind.

There was absolutely no way I'd tell her.

Bu the time Saturday Rolled around, I had diagnosed myself as crazy.

Every time someone would call my name, I would flinch, afraid that they would be the people from my dreams. I was constantly seeing faces of people I didn't know, it was like my mind was trying to remember something, but it never actually succeeded. There was a brick wall blocking me from the memories associated with these people. Eventually, I realized that the wall was chipping, slowly falling away. I found myself not only seeing their faces, but also imagining conversations with them. My life was turning into one big daydream.

**o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o**

I was walking along a dirt path; old wooden fences lined my way and up ahead I could see a town. The smell of dirt and fertilizer, the sounds of squealing pigs and mooing cows were all to familiar. I took a deep breath and smiled, continuing on the path.

The people of the town had grown used to me over the last few days, they smiled at me, the children waved hello as they ran about playing their games. A few of the shop managers fought for my attention, they knew that the pack that was slung around my shoulder carried herbs for medicines and fruits and nuts I collect from the forest.

It was the same every day, I would choose one of the shops and barter, trading for supplies. This time I chose the fabric hut. I needed thread and material to make my friend new pants.

"Hello Katara." The nice old lady spoke.

"Hello." I chirped. "How are you today?"

"Great!" She brought out a roll of blue fabric. "Let me guess. He ruined his pants again."

I shook my head, my next words coming out automatically. "It's that sword of his, he likes sleeping with it, sometimes unsheathed."

"Boys and their toys." She laughed.

"I need a yard and a half please."

She nodded and began cutting. "How's that other boy, the one whose been giving you the trouble?"

I rolled my eyes and smiled. "Infuriating as always."

"That boy probably likes you." She warned.

"Yeah right. He's incapable of emotions." I shook my head. "I don't think he's human."

She smiled at me, and I can tell you I didn't like its implications.

"Here you go." She folded the fabric and handed it to me. "Need some thread?"

"Yes please." I dug into my bag and pulled out her favorite herbs. "Want the usual?"

"Of course." She smiled and took the herbs from my outstretched hand.

"Thank you." I mumbled, opening my eyes to find myself staring at the ceiling.

I sat up in my bed slowly, and sighed. They were always so real. Sometimes, I didn't even know I was dreaming until I awoke in disappointment. And they were always unfinished. I would go into town and trade with the merchants for food and other things. I would sometimes chat with the town's people if I didn't wake up first, they would ask about my day and I would ask about theirs. Sometimes I would even join in a game of kickball from the children. Then, if my dream lasted this long, I would head out of the town and back down that same dirt road.

That was as far as I ever got.

What was down that dirt road? Who were the supplies for? Did I bring them to other people? I always mentioned my 'friends' but who were these people at the end of the road?

These dreams were really getting to me. Sometimes when I woke, I couldn't tell whether I was dreaming or not. Maybe that town wasn't a dream at all, maybe this was the dream. I could be asleep right now and my 'dreams' were really the reality.

I groaned. I was making no sense.

I stayed in my bed, playing sick for the rest of the week. And honestly, it wasn't very hard to pretend. I was pale and weak, barely able to get out of bed and walk to the bathroom without feeling nauseous. Lucy got over her anger at me as soon as she saw the state I was in, and I was secretly grateful since I felt so bad for what I said.

My visit to the doctor was useless, he didn't know what was wrong with me and chalked it all up to depression, which was only half true. I had always felt like an outsider, but now I felt like an alien. Every time I talked to someone, I'd get distracted easily or run out of things to say quickly. I felt like I had nothing in common with them anymore.

Day by day, things were getting weirder and weirder. Every once in a while, Tina would talk to me (probably because Lucy begged her to), but our conversations never lasted long, every time I talked to her I pictured that green eyed girl in my mind and I would immediately end the conversation in fear.

At any given time, I was unsure whether I was dreaming or not. Sometimes I had to pinch an arm too reassure myself that I was awake. And that damn dirt road…I knew that if I just got to my destination I would get my answers, but every time I got close, my dream ended.

It was like life was a blur, and I was standing still, watching the world move around me. But the thing was…I didn't even care.

I didn't want to leave my room, afraid that if I did, something would trigger a hallucination. And worse of all, I wanted to meet these people. I wanted to see them face to face, to know why they were so damn important to me.

But that wasn't possible, I accepted that I was crazy and knew I had made them up.

Yet in the back of my psycho mind, I knew they were real.

I had been hoping and praying for some kind of answer, for someone to tell me what was wrong with me, but for a while…I was alone.

I had been sulking in my room when it finally happened.

"Katara…" a soft voice spoke.

My eyes snapped open and I flung the blankets off of me. I knew that voice. No, I didn't, this was just another hallucination.

But then I saw them. Two figures stood in my room, one a man and one a woman.

"Hello again Katara." Her voice seemed to float over me, wrapping me in warmth that no fireplace could provide. Tears unexplainably welled in my eyes and I could do no more than stare at their faces.

"I know you, don't I?" I asked quietly, afraid they would disappear if I spoke too loud. "Really know you, I've actually met you before…in person. Right?" I was babbling, I knew it, but I had to get my answers, was this just another crazy moment?

The man answered. "So quick to forget." He shook his head at me in disappointment. "We are Tu and-"

"-La." I interrupted. "Spirits." I've heard this before, I knew it.

"Be careful mortal." His eyes sharpened and I had the distant memory that he had said those exact same words to me before. "We came to you for help, but you have failed us. We asked you to train the Avatar, for you are the only one who will succeed in this task, but you fought every step of the way. We have finally sent you home, as you have wished."

I frowned, "The avatar? Sent me home? What are you talking about?"

The woman smiled in amusement. "You are not as crazy as you think."

"Are you telling me that those hallucinations were real? That you're real?" I laughed weakly, hopefully.

"They are not hallucinations, they are memories."

"Memories of what?" I almost yelled.

His eyes silted and he held his hand out to me. I dared not touch him, but I needn't worry about having to take his hand, he had something else on his mind. His palm turned up and I yelped in pain. My head was on fire, burning, splitting, and overflowing with pain and information. Everything was coming back to me all at once, and through the haze of pain, I made out the spirits coming to me the first time, asking me to help them.

I collapsed on the ground, faces and scenes assaulting me. It was over all to suddenly, one minute a searing pain and the next, I was fine, like it didn't even happen.

I sprung up, my mind full of questions. "Zuko!" Is he okay?"

"Do not worry about Zuko."

"But-"

The man held out his hand, but this time in threat. "Remember who you are, mortal."

"Can I ask why you sent me back home?" Hope filled my face.

"You were failing and we had to intercede. If you had followed your path, the world would have been unable to save."

I frowned. "Can you just jump in like that? Isn't there some kind of rule saying that you can't interfere with the world of humans? With their fate?"

"Who's to say this isn't part of that 'fate'?" She answered vaguely. "We answer no questions regarding our decisions."

I was more confused than ever. "Why am I such a big part of their world?"

"That is not for you to know." The man was getting angry again (but wasn't he always?).

"I apologize for my rudeness." I spoke formally and gave a short bow.

"Do you wish to return?" he asked in triumph.

I looked up at the man who seemed to hate me. "Yes."

"Then we will take you back, and when you next return home, you will not remember anything about our world, no more memories or what you call 'hallucinations' about your friends."

I frowned and hesitated, but before I could speak, I was back in the familiar darkness.

**o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o

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**Review please!**


	19. Revelations

**I'm the worst procrastinator ever. I'll get on write a page, and then get distracted and go on Facebook or look up YouTube videos with hedgehogs. I'm bad.**

**Anyways, while I wrote this chapter, I got really curious about what kind of underwear the firebenders wear, so I did the only thing I could think of…I googled it. This is what I got from yahoo answers (I don't remember who said it and I'm too lazy to look it up): "The Airbenders wear thongs, the waterbenders wear granny panties, the firebenders wear boy briefs and the earth benders go commando, ya feel me?" This is what I will stick with.**

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**o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o**

I was staring at the wall, zoned out, mind blank. The world was spinning around me, but it seemed like the Air Temple was frozen in time, silent except for the sound of Aang practicing his waterbending beside the main fountain. He had been at it for days now, wanting to perfect some techniques as a present for Katara. To make things easier on her.

The sound of a knock broke the silence and I turned in time to see Iroh let himself into my room. On his shoulder was slung a bag of medical supplies, in his hands a bowl filled with steaming water and a soaking washcloth.

Having done twice a day since we got back from the volcano, I knew what to do. I took off my shirt and unwrapped my arm, letting the soiled bandages fall to the ground. The strange looking scabs stretched my skin as I straightened my stiff arm. A burst of pain shot through my shoulder as my muscles flexed. Everything hurt; one side of my body had been basically torn to shreds by the sharp volcanic rock and the healing process was slow. Very slow.

I could barely pick anything up with my bad arm, and walking was nearly impossible. My leg and shoulder had gotten the worse of it. Iroh wouldn't let me look at my shoulder, but I knew that a good chunk of skin was gone; it was a miracle I didn't bleed to death. If it hadn't been for Iroh…I probably _would_ be dead.

After we escaped and were flying away on Appa, my adrenaline finally ran out, after that…I don't remember a thing. Iroh told me I fell into shock, soon after I was unconscious. To stop the life from bleeding out of me, he took my dagger and used I it to cauterize the worst of my wounds. Iroh wouldn't tell me anymore of what happened. I imagine it to have been horrible…the smell, the sight of my burning flesh. I'm glad I was unconscious. I tried to ask Sokka a few times about what happened on that saddle, but his face always drained of color and he refused to talk about it.

Hands touched my forearm and rotated it gently, examining the wound. "How does it feel?"

I looked at Iroh's concerned face and lied. "Better than yesterday."

He nodded. "It does look better, not as inflamed."

I shrugged, distracted.

"Let me look at your ribs…" He took the bandages off of my midsection and whistled.

"Bad?" I asked.

I felt his hands apply pressure to my ribs and I winced in pain. "Yes, but your ribs will be fine. I was worried about those the most. Sprains and breaks take the longest to heal."

My mind was sluggish from lack of sleep, but I forced myself to say something in reply, anything. "I'm glad they're not broken…"

"Would you like me to examine your leg?" He asked slowly, his face showing concern.

"Please." I gently pulled off my pants, taking special care not to touch my injuries. My entire thigh was covered in white bandages that were wrapped loosely to ensure that my injuries could breathe. Slowly, I unwound a bit of my bindings, giving Iroh access unwind the rest and examine my thigh.

"It looks a lot better." He grabbed a washcloth from the bowl of warm water and pressed it to my skin, soaking up the blood that had oozed from some of my open wounds. I hissed in pain and stiffened, but made no complaint as he began washing me. Once satisfied, he reached into his bag and pulled out a small bottle of ointment. I had used this same ointment before, and I knew it would sting, so I braced myself for the pain as he smeared it on the worst of my wounds.

I tried to bite my tongue to stop from yelling out, but it still came out lout and clear. Iroh paused briefly, but continued smearing it on my leg.

He rustled through his bag of medicines until he found the leaves he was looking for. He handed them to me without explanation, but I knew what to do. I rolled them into a ball and began chewing them. Within minutes, the plant did its work, the pain numbed and I relaxed enough to let Iroh wrap my leg in some clean white bandages. "I just wish Miss. Katara was awake, she'd be able to do a lot better than me…"

I closed my eyes and sighed, not wanting to think of her.

The bandages tugged painfully on my skin and I waited patiently for him to finish. As soon as he was done I struggled to stand, intending to leave, but he grabbed my wrist, the only part of my arm that had avoided injury, and forced me back down. "Prince Zuko…"

"Zuko." I corrected, not looking him in the eye.

Iroh sighed. "Zuko…I brought you some food. Please eat it."

I nodded absently. "I will."

Iroh waited for me to make a move towards the food, but I continued to sit and stare at the wall. After a minute, Iroh gave up and walked away, leaving me alone. As soon as the door clicked shut, I took a deep shuddering breath.

What was wrong with me?

Iroh was back, I should celebrate. Our attack was successful and I was the only one hurt…everyone else had escape injury. They were safe. Everyone. Yet I couldn't be happy, I couldn't eat or sleep because of Katara. I wanted her to be back to herself. Her annoying, smiling self.

This whole situation was just so damn infuriating!

I reached for the food Iroh had left me. Rice and a sliced moon peach. The first day without Katara, Sokka had tried to take charge and make us dinner. He considered it his responsibility, but he ended up burning the rice, making it inedible. Soon after Iroh took over all of the cooking. I took a sniff of the food, but my stomach immediately churned. I couldn't eat this.

Momo appeared on my windowsill and waited. For the last couple of days, I had been giving Momo my food so people would think I was eating, but apparently Iroh wasn't convinced. I placed the plate beside Momo and he ate it without hesitation.

"Enjoy…" I whispered and got up, limping out of my room and into the hall. I didn't need to worry about Iroh seeing me, he was already out of sight. Maybe he went to help Aang train, or maybe he was off with Toph hunting or drinking tea. It didn't matter where he was, either way, he'd be able to find me in a heartbeat. He knew where I went.

I knocked lightly on the door and let my self in, not moving past the doorway.

Sokka's hunched figure met my eyes. He was seated in an uncomfortable looking wooden chair, his forehead resting on Katara's stomach and her hand clenched tightly in his. I couldn't see his face, but I could tell by his even breathing and motionless body that he had fallen asleep. Good. Katara had been in this state for days and I'm pretty sure he hadn't slept at all. I had slept just as little.

My eyes slid over to Katara and my heart sank. She was as still as stone. It had been three days since we returned from the prison and she hadn't moved once, not even a twitch.

I took a step forward and cleared my throat in hope that Sokka would hear me and wake up. Luckily, Sokka stirred before I had to go and shake him. Usually only physical force or food could tempt him out of his slumber, but he had probably been only half asleep, too on edge to get any real rest.

Sokka lifted his head slowly, tiredly, first searching Katara's face for a sign of life then turning his head to the door. His eyes only met mine for a second before they were turned back to Katara, but that brief acknowledgement was enough permission for me to approach.

"Hello Sokka." I clapped him on the shoulder and tried to smile at him.

"Zuko." He greeted with a smile that seemed just as forced as mine.

An odd thing had happened to us since our return to the Air Temple. The sleepless nights spent by Katara's bedside had washed away the hate that Sokka had for me. He never questioned why I was with him, why I cared so much while everyone else seemed fine about the situation. Maybe he was too concerned about her to care. Either way, we shared a bond now, one that, even though we had spoken no more than a few sentences to each other, made us close. No more glares, no more taunts, just companionable silence. We weren't friends, but we were far better than we used to be.

"How is she doing?" I asked and eased myself into a sitting position on the floor beside him.

He shrugged and finally let go of Katara's hand. "Nothing has changed." Sokka leaned back in the chair and tried to appear as if he was fine.

I nodded, not expecting a different answer. "You should go and get some sleep then."

He rubbed at his eyes out of exhaustion that was not only physical, but emotional as well. "I'm fine."

I readied myself to get yelled at. "You haven't slept in days, going on a sleep strike wont help Katara."

He glared at me. This was the first glare I had gotten in days, but it wasn't the same. He was too tired; the bags under his eyes softened the effect. "What do you want me to do then? You've heard Aang say a million times that this is the work of the spirits, that means I cant do a thing. I can only wait and make sure I'm here when she wakes up!"

I nodded, not in the mood to argue. Even so, I didn't blame him for feeling helpless because I did too.

"What can I do…" he whispered. His head hung back over the back of his chair and his eyes became fixated on the ceiling.

"I think Katara would like it better if she woke up and you had done something productive with your time. Maybe you should plan and attack or help Aang train. I don't know." I sighed and leaned forward, about to rest my hands on my knees, but pain stopped me. "Just get some sleep, okay?"

His eyebrows furrowed, "What about you then? You look just as bad as I do! When was this last time you had a meal, let alone slept?"

I was too exhausted to lie. "Not since we left that damn prison."

He seemed satisfied. "Then how can you tell me to get some sleep."

I wanted him to get some sleep so I could be left alone with Katara. I had hoped that he would go and take a quick nap, but after a few days I saw that there was no way he would get any kind of rest until she was awake. He even went as far as buying some herbs that would keep him awake. I had to convince him to leave me alone with her…I needed to sort out my thoughts, my emotions.

"You know it will hurt her to see you like this…she'll blame herself, you know she will. But me…" I sighed. "She hates me; you know she does, she'll probably be happy to see me like this."

He nodded his head in agreement. "She can't stand you now. What did you do? It seemed like overnight she couldn't even look at you, and when she did it was to glare."

There was no way I'd tell him that I made out with his sister while I was technically still with Mai. "I lied to her about something I shouldn't."

He nodded. "Sounds like you were stupid."

I ignored him. "Get a few hours of sleep, okay?"

He stared at me long and hard, but I just held his gaze. "I'll be back in an hour."

My eyes turned back to Katara. "I'll make sure you're the first to know if anything happens."

I heard a rustle of movement and the door clicked shut behind him. I ignored the pain and quickly scrambled into his vacated chair and took Katara's hand. I was surprised that it was so easy to convince him, but I didn't complain. He was probably too tired to think clearly and forgot the history I had with Katara.

From the outside, she looked fine, normal even. She wasn't pale or sick looking, her skin wasn't cold or clammy, and she wasn't tossing or turning. She could have been sleeping.

But she wasn't.

Where was she? Where had her spirit gone?

Dread crept over me. She has been in this comatose state for three full days now, was she even coming back? This wasn't her world; did they finally take her back to be with her friends and family? She used to say that she would eventually go back… and Agni, I could see it in her eyes…she wanted to go home. Her face could have been read like a book, she was worried about them. She was worried they thought she was dead, lost, kidnapped…and even though over the last month the worry had slowly faded, she knew she didn't belong here.

The spirits had every right in the world to take her back whenever they wanted.

But no, I refuse to believe they took her away from us. We still needed her. What would happen when Sokka finally cut his arm off? Who would heal him? Who would help Aang with his training? Who would be able to convince Toph to take a bath more than once a year?

I squeezed her hand tighter. Would they take her now? There was still so much that we needed to do and we couldn't even think of doing it without her.

"This isn't your world…" I whispered to her. "You don't belong here…"

But wasn't this what she wanted?

I reached up to cup her cheek, but I stopped myself before I could do it. I couldn't touch her after what I did to her. She hated me and I hated myself just as much. Even though I had emotionally checked out of my relationship with Mai a long time ago, I was still with her when I kissed Katara. I was a disgrace. Not only should Mai's father kill me, but Sokka should as well.

My hand began to fiddle nervously with Katara's green bracelet. How much of this was my fault? She was the one that wore the tight, revealing clothes; she was the one who always did that thing with her butt every time she walked.

I clenched my eyes shut. No, I couldn't think about her cute butt right now.

Oh Agni I missed her. And I never got the chance to apologize to her and explain why I kissed her. My heart sped up at the thought of the kiss we shared, and yes…we _shared_ that kiss. It wasn't only me; she kissed me back with just as much enthusiasm and tongue that I gave her, maybe even more. She had to hold some kind of attraction towards me, right? I mean you don't shove your tongue in just anyone's mouth…she had to like me on some level, even if it was just physical.

But that also counted for me too, why did I shove my tongue in her mouth if I didn't like her?

I froze as a thought was beginning to emerge in the back of my mind.

_Did_ I like her?

No.

No way.

She was annoying, self involved, and weird. She always thinks everyone's business was her own business. If nagging were a sport, she would take first, second, and third. There was practically nothing about her I liked. If she wasn't pretty, I probably wouldn't even look at her. Everything I liked about her was physical…this was lust, not anything else.

I flinched at how mean I sounded, but I'll be damned if it wasn't true.

But Agni…she was pretty and there wasn't a day that went by that she wasn't being nice and thoughtful to everyone around her. Katara had a certain way about her, Ty Lee would call it an aura, and she was pleasant to be around. Even when she was pissed at me, I still gravitated towards her warmth and found little excuses to be around her.

I was screwed up, wasn't I?

All of that didn't matter though, she hated me and there was nothing I could do to change that. Instead of letting my brain do the thinking I let my sex drive lead…look where that got me.

Although we were always fighting, she was a good friend...kind of. Agni, I remembered the time she made us those smores…she was so damn proud of them! Don't get me wrong, they were good, but she acted like they were the shining achievement of her world. But it wasn't, they had computers, cars, ways to harness electricity that could power entire cities…why would she ever want to return? We don't have any of that.

But as much as I hated to say this, I'd miss her. A lot…so she better come back, and when she did I'd be nicer to her, go a little easier on her. Well, maybe not the 'go a little easier' on her part, but she did deserve a little niceness. She deserved a lot more than she had right now.

Katara's put so much work into this that she had to get_ something_.

She's improved so much. When I originally joined with her and Toph, she didn't even know she could waterbend. She was one of the quickest learners I've ever seen, and although she's yet to pass me, she would soon. Now she was a warrior. She looked like one too, she was strong, her eyes were now hardened from battle, and her ferocity had few rivals. She's seen and been through a lot. Death was no stranger to her now.

Ok…maybe I _did _like her, even if it was just a little. I had a super annoying crush on her that would probably pass in a week. No, sooner if she would wake up and open her mouth. With her like this, quiet and unmoving, it was easy to forget how annoying and aggravating she was. Yes, once she talked, when she was back to her self-righteous self I'd be completely neutral about her, maybe we could even be friends if she ever forgave me.

Crap, what do I do now? Before I was banished I had girls throwing themselves at me…I never even had to try. Should I do something? Pick her some flowers?

I've never actually liked someone before like this, I've never really had the chance to…once you get banished, there are not many girls who would be willing to date you. I never even liked Mai as much, she was just the convenient one to be with, the one I was _expected_ to be with.

Oh gosh…dating…did I have to ask Katara out? Did I even want to take it that far? Would I be content with just being a friend?

Not for long.

I stood up and began pacing.

What in Agni's name was I going to do?

Iroh would know, but I couldn't ask him. Crap. There was no way I'd talk to Toph either, she'd just look at me and say 'I told you so'. How did that girl know that I liked her before I did?

Crap, crap, crap…I should have just listened to Toph.

Whatever I decided to do, it had to be done with honor. What was the honorable way to do this?

**o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o**

"Hm…That's strange…" I picked up the cup and sipped slowly, oolong tea, my favorite.

"What is it?" Iroh asked, his low chuckle bouncing off the walls. "Is he pacing again?"

I shook my head. "No…" I paused, unsure if what I was feeling is correct. "He stopped pacing…he's actually going to Sokka's room."

"Sokka's room…" He set his cup down and folded his arms. "What could he be doing there?"

"I don't know." I took another sip. "Maybe he's going to wake Sokka."

Iroh shook his head. "Zuko wouldn't wake Sokka up, you know he wants to spend alone time with Miss. Katara."

"True." I placed my hands on the ground and waited for Zuko's next move. "I'm just surprised he hasn't worn out the floor with all of that pacing."

He tilted his head and I could feel his stare. "I'm sure he has a lot on his mind."

I made a face. "Yeah, but if he would have listened to me a long time ago, he wouldn't be having this problem. I told him he liked her, I saw it before anyone else did."

"But you can also feel heartbeats, which is a sort of cheating."

I ignored his comment. "I told her the same thing, but she didn't listen either."

"Good, he needs someone who's stubborn too."

"Oh spirits, she's even more pig headed…"

He laughed. "Even better."

I folded my arms. "They are going to have one weird relationship…"

"Yes, but imagine all of the grandbabies!" I could feel his excitement.

I smiled and shook my head at him. "You're funny, grandpa."

"Thank you for accompanying me for tea today, Miss. Toph." Heat flared against my face as Iroh set the fire under the teapot flaring. "It is much appreciated."

"No problem gramps." I smiled at him. "Its nice to have someone to talk to that isn't crazy. It looks like you actually have a solid head on your shoulders."

"Thank you." He bowed his head slightly.

"I'm just glad someone else noticed the love triangle that's been going on here." I held my cup out for more tea. "Sokka's just too stupid to realize it, but the people involved are even stupider."

He laughed as he poured me more tea. "I wouldn't have imagined this would happen to him. Its amazing what this time away from the Fire Nation has done for Zuko."

"What?" I scoffed. "He was worse before?"

"Oh yes, but he has changed a lot." He sighed. "And I much prefer his choice of a girlfriend now. Miss. Katara, although I have yet to talk to her, seems much better than Mai. Aang seems to think very highly of her."

"Yeah, I bet he does." I couldn't hold back my laughter.

I could feel him smiling. "Yes, and even though I've only been here for a few days, I can tell Zuko is quite infatuated with her, even though he would never admit it. Why else would he be in this kind of emotional state?"

I snorted. "Because he's crazy."

He stayed silent and thoughtful.

"She's just as crazy though."

"But from what you've told me, she's quite special, not many people have had contact with the spirits the way she has."

"Well, I just hope she doesn't have to go back to her time anytime soon…"

Iroh nodded. "I agree, it would break Zuko's-"

"Shhh!" I cut him off. "Zuko's in Sokka's room, I need to know what's going to happen."

**o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o**

"Sokka…" I nudged his shoulder lightly. "Sokka wake up."

He jerked awake, his eyes wide and surprised. "Huh?"

"Sokka, its late you've been asleep for hours…" I stepped back from his bed and stood there awkwardly.

It took him a second, but he sat up slowly and swung his legs over the edge of the bed and looked out of his window. Already, the moon was up and the stars were out. "Anything?"

I shook my head. "No, nothing has changed. I just thought you'd want to go back to Katara."

He rubbed at his eyes and began to get up. "Thank you."

I grasped his forearm and forced him back down. "Sokka…"

He stiffened and looked up, confusion and hesitation clear on his face. I could see the muscles of his shoulder flex as if he were readying himself for anything, an attack or a sudden escape. "If this is about that dinner I made you guys, I said I was sorry I burnt the rice, I usually dont-"

I cut him off before he could continue. If I didnt say it now, I'd chicken bear out. "-Sokka I want to court your sister."

Sokka's froze, but after a few seconds, his face contorted in laughter. "What?"

I shifted on my feet, uncertain to continue. This was not the reaction I had been preparing for, the last hour had been spent coming up with ways to pacify his anger, coming up with what to say if we started to argue. He was supposed to yell at me, attack me, tell me I wasn't worth his sister's attention…not this.

"I would like to ask your permission to court your sister." I repeated, my voice full of faked confidence and my face burning red.

"You think I-" he exploded into another bought of laughter. "That she will-" he doubled over and had to gasp in his breath. "This is great."

"I uh-"

"I didn't know you told jokes!" He was finally able to look back at me, a tear forming in the corner of his eye.

I steeled all of my nerves and stood straight, chest puffed. "I'm serious Sokka, I would like to have your blessing."

His chuckle slowly died out until he sat there, slack jawed and wide eyed. "Wait…you're serious?"

I took a deep breath. "Yes."

"You're serious…" it was more of a thoughtful statement than a question this time.

I reminded myself why I was doing this and replied slowly. "Yes."

"Seriously?" He asked again, his eyebrows furrowed.

I backtracked franticly. "Normally I would ask your father, but since…" I trailed off. "You are the acting patriarch of the family…to do this honorably, I need your permission."

"Honorably…" he nodded slowly, his face blank. "You're crazy, aren't you?"

"I think so." I mumbled to myself. This was the only thing I could think to do. This was tradition. In the palace, if I found a woman I liked, I would have to go to the man of the family and ask his permission, if I got permission I would chase her and shower her and her family with gifts to show my wealth. I would have to prove to her and my family that I would be able to take care of her and them.

He was calm and collected, putting me on edge. "So, you're asking me."

Any moment, I expected him to grab his sword and chop my head off with it. He could probably do it too, with as much anger and rage that was probably bubbling under his calm surface right now; he could probably kill me before I even saw it coming. "Yes."

He stood in front of me and looked me straight in the eyes, his face very serious. "I thought you didn't like her."

"Um…I just…well I kind of do…but just a little." I wanted to explain myself, but my thoughts were jumbled. "Oh Agni…uh, I didn't think I liked her, but in that room I kind of had a little epiphany of sorts and I realized that I do like her…kind of."

"She hates you though...you said so yourself." Lines appeared his forehead. "You want to court her even though she hates you?"

"Yes. That's why I'm coming to you, I want to at least do something right and get your permission."

"And you think that in the near future, she'll start to like you…" he asked slowly, still half asleep and trying to make sense out of the situation.

I frowned, what was wrong with Sokka, why wasn't he yelling? "No, probably not."

"Wait, I'm still confused…" Sokka tilted his head to the side, yet still…no anger. "So why do you want to waste your time?"

I flopped around for an answer. "I need to have at least given myself a chance."

"Wait a second." His eyes sharpened. "You told me on Appa that you had a girlfriend."

My eyes widened. "No, no, no! I broke up with her!"

"How could you have broken up with her?" anger was finally showing on his face, but not for the reason I thought it would. "You talked about her on the way to the prison and now you're broken up with her, that's impossible unless you took Appa to the Fire Nation and back overnight. You've been with us the entire time!"

My face paled. "My girlfriend was…um…she was at the volcano with us."

His face barely relaxed. "What?"

I stayed silent.

"Who was it?"

"It was Mai."

"You were with knife girl!"

"Yes, but not for very long."

"This is crazy." He let out a string of curses and I knew that this wasn't good. He only cursed when he was fighting and when he was really angry.

I stuttered. "I don't know! Everyone expected me to do it so I did. She's not that bad, ok? At least not to me."

"That's because you're the prince and she wants to be Fire Lady one day! Any girl would be nice to you if you had the power to make them royalty!"

"Hey!" I yelled. "Be careful what you say to me!"

"You want me to be careful?" He took a step forward, face inches from mine. "You're the one who wants to marry Katara!"

"No I don't!" I screamed back at him.

He got closer, his nose bumping mine. "You know what courting leads to, don't you? Marriage." He spat the word at me in anger. "The only _honorable_ end of any courtship is marriage."

"I know, but…" I threw up my arms and turned away. "I'm just confused, okay? I barely realized I like the girl today. I don't exactly know what I want to do."

Sokka's breathing slowed and he forced himself to calm. "Katara is not like Mai…she'll eat you alive."

"Is that a yes?" I asked, barely allowing myself to be hopeful.

"This is screwed up…" he sat back down and sighed. "You barely just broke up with Mai. Katara cant be your rebound."

I tried to change the subject. "But I don't like Mai, I like your sister. I haven't liked Mai for Months. I have absolutely no feelings for her."

"Tell me why." He threw his arms up in frustration. "Why do you like Katara?"

There was no use in lying. "I don't know."

His eyes narrowed. "Tell me why."

My heart started racing. "I don't know! Shes just so…so- oh Agni-Shes just so nice all of the damn time!"

"If you court her and she rejects you, what will you do?"

"I don't know!" I was getting angry again. "Absolutely nothing, if it wasn't meant to be, then I'll forget all about it."

"Oh spirits, I don't even know if I can give you a yes or no. I never thought I'd have to give a man permission to date my sister. And this whole situation…" he threw his hands into the air in frustration. "She's my sister and she isn't, do you understand?"

I nodded.

"Were related…we are. The same blood flows through our veins, but at the same time it doesn't. I just don't know. I wish my father was here, he'd probably challenge you to a spar for Katara or something, but he doesn't even know she exists. He doesn't even know…"

"You didn't tell him?"

"How am I supposed to tell him? I don't even know where he's at right now…" He shook his head and looked at me. "I can't challenge you to a spar, I wouldn't last five minutes."

I stayed silent.

"This sucks." He shifted his feet. "But okay, you have my permission."

I took a step towards him, but he put a hand out and shook his head. "I'm not saying this because I like you, I'm giving you a yes because I love Katara, and although she'll hand you your ass the moment you confess to her, it's her choice."

I nodded, my mind a furry of activity.

"You need to know that I don't exactly like you. Our relationship is difficult…strained. You're getting a yes only because she's going to say no and I want to see her kick your ass. Someone needs to do it."

I let out a breath that I didn't know I was holding. "Thank you Sokka."

"I love her." He repeated. "She's my sister, if you do anything bad to her, I will not hesitate to cut off your head and put it on a stick as a warning to all other men."

"I would never do anything to hurt Katara."

"You already have." his eyes searched my face. "That's why she hates you."

I nodded, not trusting myself to speak.

"Be careful, she's not like other girls." He warned.

"I know." A smile pulled at my lips.

I took a step towards him and held out my hand. He grasped my forearm, but his face was still careful.

"Um, sorry to break this up, but Katara is moving around…"

Our heads snapped to the door where Toph stood, her face angled away from us. "She's awake?"

Toph shrugged. "I don't know, she's just thrashing around."

**o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o**

A body crashed onto mine and squeezed me tightly. The body smelled familiar, like a fresh breeze mixed with a little bit of sweat. Sokka…it had to be Sokka.

My eyelids were heavy as I forced them open, and my eyes immediately rested on Zuko. His expression was strange, a mixture of fear and relief, his lips parted and his breaths were short, but overall, he looked relieved. The dark circles under his eyes were prominent, and he looked exhausted, like he hadn't slept in days. But he hung back, watching, not speaking or even trying to hug me like Sokka was.

My arms went up slowly, trembling with exhaustion, and wrapped them selves around Sokka's shaking form. "Sokka?"

He lifted his head and met my eyes, they were red and bloodshot from tears I didnt know he had shed. "Katara, are you okay?"

I looked around the room, my eyebrows knitted together, everything looked like I had left it, everyone looked like themselves… "I'm back, right? This isn't another dream… I'm back…"

"Katara! I missed you so much!" He pulled back and helped me into a sitting position. My eyes searched the room frantically. This was my room in the Air Temple. Over in the corner was my bag of supplies and extra clothes. Everything looked exactly as I left it. This was my room, there was no doubt in my mind, I was back…right? Or was this just another hallucination? I reached for Sokka, was he really here? It felt like him, smelled like him, and looked like him…this was definitely Sokka.

"I'm back?" I asked aloud.

"Are you okay? Sokka put the back of his hand on my forehead. "Do you feel sick or have a headache?"

I swatted his hand away and swung my legs over the bed. "I'm back…"

"Katara?" Aang's voice rang out from behind the old man in the doorway. He pushed his way through and lunged at me. I stiffened as his arms wrapped around me and his head buried itself in the crook of my neck. "I knew you'd be okay…"

This was too much, way too much. I couldn't handle this, my mind wasn't ready for this much information. If it didn't stop right now, I'd have a panic attack.

Too much.

I stood up and Aang let me go, a smile still on his face. Without even a glance at anyone, I pushed my way out of the room. Several voiced called out my name, but I ignored them all and kept going. I wanted to get out of there; I needed to be alone,

All I wanted to do was cry.

A hand grabbed at my arm and I turned towards them, jerking my hand away. It was Sokka. "Katara, that's wrong?"

I took a step back and held out my arms like a shield. "I'm fine, I just need some alone time. I need to think."

His eyes showed hurt, but he nodded anyways.

I turned and ran from Sokka, from the Air Temple, and from everyone's watchful eyes. It wasn't until my lungs began to burn that I finally slowed to a walk. I didn't know where I was, the tightly packed trees of the forest blocked everything from view, and the only light was a green glow that the trees above me cast.

I fell on my knees and let out a shuddering breath.

None of this made sense. I didn't understand any of it.

Why did they take me back? I thought I was doing everything right? I was teaching Aang to waterbend, I was helping with planning…I was doing everything I could to make sure we succeeded. I even learned waterbending! What had I done wrong?

"What the hell!" I yelled out loud.

I didn't do anything wrong!

My fist pounded the dirt in anger and confusion. How am I supposed to fix the path I am on if I don't even know what was wrong in the first place?

"What do you want me to do!" I looked up and glared at the trees.

Rage began to take over me. How could they do this? How could they just pluck me out of my time and throw me back and forth like I was a ragdoll.

I was on my feet in seconds. "Answer me!"

I didn't want to do this anymore, I wanted to go back…but at the same time I wanted to stay. I didn't know what I wanted. I belonged there, in my world. There was no doubt about that. But at the same time, I wanted to be here more…I felt like this was my home. These people were my family more that anyone else…

My anger began to fade and sadness took its place.

What had I done wrong? I had tried so hard to do what they said so I could go home and be in my world again…but they send me back and tell me I hadn't been doing it right? And why had I wanted to return here so much? This wasn't my world…If I had asked them not to bring me back here, would they listen? Did I have a choice in any of this?

I was just so damn confused…why had they left me with so many unanswered questions?

Tears burned behind my eyes.

I needed my brother.

My feet took me back to the Air Temple, back through the halls, and back into my room where I was sure Sokka would be waiting. He seemed not to have moved the entire time I was gone. Sokka sat in a chair he had pulled beside my bed, his chin resting in his arms, waiting and hoping I would come back soon.

I ran to him, and grabbed him from behind. In one move, he stood and twisted, meeting me in a bone crushing hug filled with emotion. I hadn't realized how much I missed him.

I hadn't realized how much I missed any of them until I was gone.

The tears finally ran down my cheeks, but it didn't matter. I was with my brother and I didn't care.

I was back.

**o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o

* * *

**

**These new adds are pissing me off, I don't want to have to do a damn survey to unlock a page! Its annoying to have to refresh or go back so I can read a dang story... Gah.  
**


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